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AUTHORS: Christine Parker, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/ Illinois Natural History Survey; Thomas Benson, Illinois Natural History Survey, Wendy Schelsky, Illinois Natural History Survey; Paul Shelton, Illinois Department of Natural Resources; Jeff Hoover, Illinois Natural History Survey
ABSTRACT: Habitat selection throughout the annual life cycle of wild turkeys has been well studied. Turkeys are generally thought of as forest birds, yet use a variety of habitats in addition to forest that reflect changes in behavior and associated habitat requirements throughout the annual cycle. Loafing, or the resting time between foraging periods remains an elusive aspect of turkey behavior and habitat use. During 2015 - 2016, we monitored 62 wild turkey hens in central Illinois using microGPS units equipped with accelerometers. GPS units logged locations every 2 hours during daylight and average acceleration rates every 5 minutes. We used location and acceleration data to determine the average time per day turkeys were engaged in loafing and the predominate landscape cover where loafing occurred. We then developed logistic regression models to evaluate how season and temperature influenced loafing behavior and location.
