Returning neighbors: Eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) occupancy in an urban landscape

Once extirpated from most of its range due to overharvest and habitat loss in the early 1900s, the eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) has been recolonizing landscapes in the eastern United States due to restoration and reintroduction efforts. Wild turkey populations have rebounded in the last 50 years so much so that wild turkey is seen as one of the most successful conservation efforts in the US. More recently, wild turkeys have begun to expand into cities across the US. While this can be seen as a successful return of a once extirpated species, it has also given rise to human-wildlife conflict in highly populated areas. Given the ecological differences between urban and rural ecosystems, it is important for conservation and management efforts to understand how wild turkey use urban landscapes. We used cameras deployed at 75 long-term study sites across the Washington, D.C. region to assess occupancy and habitat use of urban wild turkey at multiple scales. We found that wild turkey occupancy was positively correlated with the distance to roadways and the proportion of natural vegetation cover within 1 km, while occupancy was negatively correlated with the distance to the nearest water source and mean canopy height within 4 km. Our findings add to the understanding of how wild turkeys are returning and using novel urban ecosystems and can inform future management needs, contribute to conservation initiatives, and help reduce negative human-wildlife interactions.