History of the Wild Turkey in North America
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History of the Wild ERVICE Turkey in North S OREST America U.S. F Forests were severely cut by the early settlers for building needs and for cooking fires and warmth. Wild animal by James Earl & Mary C. species which had inhabited the forests were displaced or disappeared. Kennamer, Ron Brenneman states having turkey populations. NWTF WILDLIFE BULLETIN NO.15 he wild turkey, native to the North American continent, was Spring hunting seasons are also held Tthe largest ground–nesting bird in Ontario and other Canadian found by the first European immi- provinces as well as in Mexico. grants. But the abundant numbers of wild turkey written about in early TERMINOLOGY: historical accounts declined with col- The Europeans were familiar onization until its continued exis- with guinea fowl, and peafowl, but tence was questionable. It wasn’t then their explorers found a New until the 1960s that the restoration of World bird similar to, but not exactly the wild turkey was heralded as a like, what they were used to seeing. wildlife management comeback Those early explorers often wrote of marvel. finding guinea and peafowl–type Early settlers found the wild birds. Their descriptions though turkey in a variety of habitats as they were later determined to be of a new pushed westward and felled forests bird soon known as the wild turkey. with the axe and saw. Wild turkey Even Linnaeus, who proposed the populations dipped to their lowest scientific name Meleagris gallopavo in numbers between the end of the 19th 1758, used names reminiscent of the century and the 1930s, surviving earlier confusion. The genus name only in the most inaccessible Meleagris means “guinea fowl,” from habitats. the ancient Greco–Romans. The As forest stands regenerated fol- species name gallopavo is Latin for lowing the Great Depression, the “peafowl” of Asia (gallus for cock stage was set for the return of the and pavo for chickenlike). Linnaeus’ wild turkey to former ranges. After descriptions, however, seem to be World War II, active restoration pro- based primarily on the domestic grams and research efforts by state NATIONAL WILD turkey imported to the U.S. by agencies eventually led to wild Europeans. He also described a TURKEY FEDERATION turkey populations in every state Mexican subspecies from a specimen except Alaska. In 1991, spring wild taken at Mirador, Veracruz, but turkey hunting seasons were for the which is probably extinct today. first time open in every one of the 49 14-1 MITH ” S INK “T LENN G The eastern wild turkey is the most abun- dant of the 5 subspecies found in North Over the years, 5 distinct sub- specifically) by being intermediate; America. It inhabits roughly the eastern species occurring in the wild have hence its name. half of the United States. been named, all native to North The fifth recognized subspecies America but in different habitat is the Gould’s (M. g. mexicana), which areas. is found in northwestern Mexico and The eastern wild turkey (M. g. parts of southern Arizona and New silvestris) inhabits roughly the east- Mexico. This subspecies, which cur- ern half of the United States. It was rently numbers several hundred named by L.J.P. Vieillot in 1817 using individuals in the United States and the word silvestris, meaning “forest” more numerous south of the border, turkey. was first described by J. Gould in The Florida wild turkey (M. g. 1856 during his travels in Mexico. A osceola) was described in 1890 by sixth subspecies (M. g. gallopavo) W.E.D. Scott and was named for the originally inhabiting southern famous Seminole chief, Osceola, who Mexico is now probably extinct. It is led his tribe against the white man in the accepted forerunner to the a war beginning in 1835. This bird is domestic turkey taken home from a resident of the southern half of Mexico by the Spanish conquerors in Florida. the 1500s. The Merriam’s wild turkey (M. The ocellated turkey (M. ocella- g. merriami) of the mountain regions ta) is a different species, occurring on of the western United States was the Yucatan Peninsula of southeast- named by Dr. E.W. Nelson in 1900 in ern Mexico and possibly in adjacent honor of C. Hart Merriam, first chief countries. In color it is much closer of the U.S. Biological Survey. to the peafowl than to its 5 cousins to The Rio Grande wild turkey the north. Males have a (M. g. intermedia) of the south–central bronze–green iridescence, long plains states and northeastern spurs, but no beard. The primary Mexico was described by George B. wing feathers are edged in white. Sennett in 1879. He said the Rio The gray tail feathers are tipped with Grande turkey differed from the a blue–bronze hue, and there are other races (eastern and Merriam’s peacock–like spots on its tail coverts 14-2 which its name implies. The blue Franklin to be the symbol represent- head has distinct, randomly spaced, ing the collective states on the round, pinkish growths. Instead of nation’s seal when proposals were making the familiar gobbling and being discussed in the 1770s and clucking sounds of the other sub- 1780s. Apparently that wasn’t so. species, the ocellated turkey makes a The first “seal committee,” formed whistling noise. the same day the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, POST–COLONIAL HISTORY: was composed of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams. When European settlers arrived The committee could not reach on the eastern seaboard, wild agreement on a symbol, but a wild turkeys apparently lived in what are turkey was not one of the options. now 39 continental states and the By 1782 a third “seal committee” Canadian province of Ontario. The rejected Philadelphia artist William species is tied closely with the early Barton’s design of the “Imperial Native American cultures and has an Eagle” of Europe. Subsequently, the often–misunderstood association design was changed to the bald with the history of the United States eagle, also native to North America, of America. which was adopted by Congress June 20, 1782, as the symbol to repre- sent the new nation. Franklin apparently grew tired of the variety of bald eagle motifs which shortly thereafter came to be used by a number of groups. In a letter to his daughter, Sarah Bache, in 1784, he noted that the “Order of Cincinnatus” had produced a badge more like a turkey than an eagle. Franklin went on to talk about the bad points of the eagle and the good It took only 5 years for the Plymouth Colony points of the turkey but never recom- settlers to see the need for some conservation mended the turkey for the American measures. Vast virgin forests were being steadily cleared, and wild turkeys were among wildlife symbol. In fact, Franklin’s com- hunted year-round. These were only 2 of the ments that the turkey was more activities involved in providing necessities for the rapidly growing number of colonists. Wild turkey was most likely part of the “fowl” served at the most famous Thanksgiving meal at Plymouth in 1621. However, it did not become a traditional part of the Thanksgiving celebration until about 1800. Contrary to popular belief, Thanksgiving did not become a tra- ditional celebration because of the Massachusetts Pilgrims; nor was the turkey for a fact the piece de resis- tance at the famous 1621 meal. It has been speculated that the turkey did not become a common adjunct to a Thanksgiving dinner until about ERVICE 1800. S It is also often thought the wild OREST turkey was championed by Benjamin U.S. F 14-3 neer villages from potential attack by Native Americans. With the turkey’s habitat fast dwindling and changing, and under the relentless pressure from market hunters to feed the growing number of colonists (4 mil- lion by 1790), the wild turkey started vanishing from much of its original range. Exceptions were some isolat- ed and inaccessible areas, mostly in the southeastern United States. In 1706 the hunting season on deer was limited on New York’s Long Island because continued hunting had almost eliminated them. Could turkeys have been far behind? As the settlers tamed the wilder- ness, cleared the woodlands and pushed westward, fewer wild NWTF turkeys were left behind. By 1920, the wild turkey was lost from respectable than the eagle and a true Connecticut had lost its wild turkeys 18 of the original 39 states and Ontario, by 1813. Vermont held out until 1842 Canada, in its supposed ancestral range. original native came 2 years after the official seal design had been selected. and other states followed. By 1920, the wild turkey was lost from 18 of DEMISE OF POPULATIONS: the original 39 states and Ontario, Canada, in its supposed ancestral As the fledgling nation began to range. grow, the wild turkey populations quickly began to disappear. Wild RESTORATION: turkeys were an important source of EARLY RECOVERY food for the pioneers and were hunt- ed year– round without the protec- Wild turkey population numbers tion of game laws (regulated hunt- remained extremely low into the ing). In 1626 Plymouth Colony early 1900s. The 5 subspecies of wild passed the first conservation law, lim- turkeys in the United States probably iting the cutting and sale of colonial declined to their lowest numbers in lumber. Vast virgin forests were the late 1930s according to data col- being cleared for agriculture and to lected by Henry S. Mosby. “In 1937, provide safety borders for the pio- the wild turkey was in trouble As the American population expanded, small farms popped up wherever man could make a living from the land.