Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Survival And Cause-Specific Mortality Of Female Eastern Wild Turkeys In Two Frequently-Burned Longleaf Pine Savannas, Andrew R. Little, John F. Benson, Michael J. Chamberlain, L. Mike Conner, Robert J. Warren

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Longleaf pine savannas have declined throughout the southeastern United States due to land-use change. Fortunately, natural resource professionals are currently restoring these ecologically and economically important savannas. Although efforts are underway to restore longleaf pine savannas, little information exists on female eastern wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo silvestris population dynamics in these systems. Therefore, we evaluated survival and cause-specific mortality of female eastern wild turkeys in two longleaf pine savannas in southwestern Georgia. We radio-marked 126 female wild turkeys during 2010–2013 and monitored their survival; 66 (52.4%) radio-marked females died during the study. We estimated causes of death for 37 mortality …