How Turkeys Survive Winter … with a Boost from Conservation
America’s No. 1 game bird is well adapted to harsh weather, but hunters and land managers can give them a vital assist.
Everyone knows turkeys are tough and can survive in many climates, but even seasoned observers marvel at how they weather harsh Northern winters. After all, deep snow, subzero temps and bone-chilling winds can test any animal.
Biologists say turkeys are actually well-adapted to survive brutal conditions. Still, they emphasize that conservation work leading up to and through winter can give birds a big survival boost until spring. And hunters can help.
How They Make It
Turkeys have several biological and physiological adaptations that help them survive Northern winters. First, like most animals, they build fat reserves in fall to prepare for winter, when food might be relatively scarce. They also change their behavior.
“When temperatures get extremely cold, they will reduce their movement as much as possible to conserve their energy and heat,” said Clayton Lenk, NWTF district biologist for Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas. “Birds may go several days without getting off of the roost in order to save as much energy as possible. The thousands of feathers turkeys have help them thermoregulate and keep warm during the cold months.”
Matt DiBona, NWTF district biologist for the New England region, said turkeys also shift their location somewhat during winter, including selecting beneficial roost sites.
“In winter, they use stands of conifers — pines, spruce or others — because these trees hold on to their needles year-round, compared to oaks or maples that lose their leaves every fall,” he said. “Roosting in these trees shelters them from wind and helps them conserve heat. When large snowfalls occur, it is not uncommon for turkeys to spend several days sitting in these trees, preferably on southern-facing slopes that receive more sunlight in winter, waiting for the snow to melt or for a crust to form that allows them to walk on the surface and seek out food.”
If snow depths become excessive, turkeys further adapt their routines.
“When there is a lot of snow on the ground, you can bet they will be in areas where the wind has swept it away to a more manageable depth for them to still walk and scratch for food,” Lenk said. “Or, they may be in areas where snow is packed down but food is artificially placed — think ranches with silage, pastures with hay, or even corn feeders in yards.”
Even the bodies of turkeys have special features designed for winter survival. DiBona said turkeys often fluff up their feathers during harsh conditions, which helps them trap and warm air against their skin to insulate them from the cold. Further, they have what biologists call a “counter-current heat exchange system,” which minimizes heat loss from their featherless legs as blood circulates through their bodies, so their legs stay cool while their bodies remain warm.
But as you might guess, the environs in which turkeys live also play a huge role in winter survival.
How Conservation Work Helps
Lenk and DiBona said good habitat is the No. 1 factor for turkeys to survive winter, and year-round access to quality food is a critical component.
“If turkeys can go into winter fat and happy and still have food options throughout the winter, odds are pretty good the winter flocks will have good survival,” Lenk said. “Even when winter is brutal and the mix of cold and snow might be poor turkey conditions, good habitat can provide microclimates that are slightly warmer than surrounding areas and provide shelter from the bitter winds, and also food to where travel can be limited but still fruitful. While acorns, fruits and seeds make up a good portion of their fall diet, their winter diets are more limited with the snowfall (in the North). Soft mast trees and shrubs such as persimmons or crabapples are excellent sources of food during the winter months and are often hotspots for turkeys.”
Creating or enhancing good food sources is one of the top aspects of NWTF-funded habitat projects in the Northeast and other Northern areas.
“In fall and winter, turkeys switch to a diet of largely acorns, nuts, seeds and fruit,” DiBona said. “These foods are high in fat and carbohydrates, which provide the energy these birds need to survive the cold winters. Our conservation work often focuses on improving the health of oak stands that provide the acorns that are a staple for wild turkeys and deer. We also try to favor trees that produce soft mast. Think of fruits, such as apple trees, dogwoods, black cherry and others. NWTF conservation projects are often focused on increasing the age and species diversity of our forests so that they not only provide the cover our birds need but also provide enough variety of food sources, so that even in years when our oak mast crop might be a bust, there are plenty of other things to eat, like beech nuts, hickory nuts and others.”
No doubt, winter is tough on turkeys. But with a boost from habitat work and a nod to the bird’s unique cold-weather survival abilities, hunters can rest assured that turkeys will make it through the lean months and into spring.
How Can You Help Turkeys During Winter?
Many turkey habitat projects are done on a large scale, but private land managers often wonder what they can do on their back 40 to help birds through winter. The answer? Quite a bit.
Clayton Lenk, NWTF district biologist for Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Dakotas, said many small-scale projects help turkeys — especially those that provide foraging opportunities during winter, such as planting food plots, or trees and shrubs. Also, work that provides turkeys with shelter from cold winter winds can help them reduce their energy output and stay warm. “Having a good place where they can battle the elements and have close access to food is what will help them make it through the winter,” he said.
Matt DiBona, NWTF district biologist for the New England region, said land managers looking to help turkeys should make the most out of what they have on their properties.
“If you have a nice stand of conifers or a shrub thicket, leave them standing so turkeys and other wildlife have shelter from the harsh winter weather,” he said. “Second, if you have crabapples, chokecherries, hawthorns or some other species of tree or shrub that produces fruits for wildlife, make sure you clear away competing vegetation to increase the vigor and productivity of those desirable species. Last, consider doing a habitat planting for wildlife. Our NWTF conservation seed programs allow members to purchase seed mixes — especially surplus commercial corn seed — to plant for wildlife. Leaving standing corn and cereal grains is a great way to help wildlife in winter.”