Journal
WILSON JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY
Volume 128, Issue 1, Pages 204-207Publisher
WILSON ORNITHOLOGICAL SOC
DOI: 10.1676/1559-4491-128.1.204
Keywords
artificial nest; brood parasitism; facultative nest parasitism; trail camera; Wild Turkey
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Accounts of obligate nest parasitism (e.g., Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater) are common in the literature; however, reports of facultative nest parasitism are less frequent. Nest parasitism has been documented only rarely in Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo). We obtained photographic evidence of a female Wild Turkey parasitizing an artificial ground nest in Lincoln County, Arkansas, in June 2013. A series of photographs show the turkey finding the nest, moving the eggs 0.3 m from the original nest location, returning twice the following day, and parasitizing the nest by laying a single egg. The actual parasitism event occurred 33-55 hrs after the turkey discovered the nest. We are unaware of other published photographs documenting nest parasitism by Wild Turkeys and this series of photographs provides information on the chronology of nest parasitism by Wild Turkeys.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available