Around the Thanksgiving holiday, a lot of decorations and advertisements feature a similar of a turkey: It’s often a big male turkey, all puffed out and in full strut. And we all know that turkey’s saying “gobble gobble.”
If you were lucky enough to see a turkey in the wild on Thanksgiving Day, there’s little chance it would be puffed up and strutting, nor would it be gobbling. Those are primarily the spring breeding displays of male wild turkeys.
In the fall, wild turkeys behave quite differently. So how do wild turkeys spend Thanksgiving Day? Here’s a look at their fascinating behavior during autumn.
Catching sight of a lone wild turkey hen pecking along a wooded trail or field edge is an intriguing wildlife encounter We expect these highly social birds to stay in flocks, so a female off on her own seems peculiar
Yet periodic isolation is perfectly normal turkey behavior Understanding when and why hens go solo provides insight into the fascinating daily rhythms governing wild turkeys.
Typical Flock Structures
Wild turkeys spend much of their time traveling and foraging in groups called flocks. Spring and summer flocks comprise several hen “families” including:
- Adult hens
- Juvenile hens (jakes)
- Young poults
A mature tom (gobbler) may accompany them. Come fall, flocks dissolve into winter groups of both sexes.
Within flocks, hens follow a pecking order with a dominant female as the leader. Their social bonds remain quite stable over time.
Nesting Drives Temporary Separation
The most frequent reason a hen ventures off alone is to attend her nest. Wild turkey breeding occurs in spring with peak egg laying in April/May.
After mating, hen turkeys seek secluded nest sites in woodlots or overgrown fields. A typical nest contains 10-12 eggs laid over several weeks.
Nesting hens require undisturbed privacy to successfully incubate eggs for 25-28 days. While she’ll stay nearby, a setting hen isolates completely to avoid attracting predators.
During this demanding period a female leaves the nest just briefly each day to feed and drink. So a lone hen during spring likely has a nearby nest.
Maternal Seclusion Post-Hatching
Newly hatched poults remain vulnerable for 4-6 weeks until feathers develop. To protect poults, maternal hens keep them separated from the flock during this early rearing stage.
The dutiful mother guides her brood to food sources, provides warmth, and closely guards them. Her maternal seclusion aims to ensure poult survival.
Social Exclusion of Subordinate Hens
Flock social structures mean some hens are lower ranking and peripheral. As flocks regroup over seasons, these subordinate females may get excluded.
A solitary hen repeatedly driven off or attacked when approaching others signals a lack of acceptance rather than temporary isolation. This kind of estrangement stems from social conflicts.
Personality May Play a Role
Wild turkeys have distinct personalities like other creatures. While most hens are highly social, some are natural introverts or wanderers.
A hen seeming healthy, relaxed and at ease while alone could simply be expressing her innate independent personality. As long as she can join flocks when needed, intervention is unwarranted.
Signs a Solitary Hen Needs Help
While brief solo jaunts are ordinary, extended isolation or these signs could indicate an issue for a female turkey:
- Appears injured, ill or underweight
- Constant visible distress or pacing
- Loitering near buildings and people
- Remains solitary across seasons
- Poor feathering and lethargy
A hen exhibiting chronic problems likely needs support to improve her odds of survival. Contacting wildlife rehabilitators to evaluate her welfare may be appropriate.
Appreciating the Lone Hen
Crossing paths with a female turkey on her own is a special event. Catching a rare glimpse of a nesting hen briefly emerge from reclusion lets us witness her critical maternal role.
Spotting a fretful solitary hen also stirs empathy for turkeys’ inherent social needs. While typically temporary, the vulnerability of hens when alone is poignant.
So although uncommon, observing a lone female turkey offers an intimate portal into the rich landscape of turkey behavior. Their sociable yet self-sufficient nature in the wild is a lesson for us as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do female turkeys leave the flock?
- To find seclusion when nesting
- To isolate poults after hatching
- Due to exclusion if low status in flock
- Due to independent personality in some hens
How can you tell if a solitary hen needs help?
Signs of distress:
- Visibly injured/sick
- Constant vocalizing or pacing
- Loitering near buildings/people
- Stays alone across seasons
- Poor feathers and lethargic
What should you do if you think a lone hen needs help?
Contact wildlife rehabilitators to assess if intervention could improve her survival odds. Provide details on her appearance and behavior.
Is it common for female turkeys to be solitary?
No, it’s more normal for hens to stay in flocks. But brief isolation for nesting, brooding, or due to social conflicts does occur. Some hens also choose solitude.
How long do female turkeys isolate poults after hatching?
Usually 4-6 weeks until poults mature enough to integrate with the flock. The hen keeps them separate to protect the vulnerable chicks.
While unusual, a female turkey off on her own often has good reason. By understanding typical hen behavior, we gain insight into the turkey experience. Periodic solitude is generally nothing to worry about!
Turkeys of a Feather…Flock Together
My first wild turkey sighting came on a late fall day in the mid-80s, when I was deer hunting with my dad. We were about ready to call it a day, looking down into a wooded hollow in Central Pennsylvania. Suddenly, a line of dark forms appeared, moving slowly through the woods, stopping and looking every few steps.
At the time, turkeys were still a rare sight in our part of the state. (In fact, many friends and relatives doubted our story). I recall how big, how beautiful, they looked moving through the hardwoods. But what I mostly remember is how quiet they were. Leaves had piled on the forest floor, loud and crunchy. A lone squirrel sounded like a snowplow when it jumped around. But these turkeys scarcely made a sound.
I’d later learn this silence was actually unusual. A flock of turkeys in the fall can be extremely noisy while calling and scratching. On that day, the first day of Pennsylvania’s popular deer season, the woods were full of people, and the turkeys were stealthy and alert.
As a hunter and naturalist, this encounter launched a lifelong interest in wild turkeys. I’ve spent a lot of time observing them. I’ve seen plenty of gobbling and strutting in the spring. I’ve seen turkeys mating, fighting, feeding, roosting and tending chicks. Their spring behavior gets all the attention, but I always find a special thrill watching them in the autumn.
The first thing to understand about fall turkey behavior is the social structure of flocks. Basically, turkeys of a feather flock together. Hen turkeys live in flocks with their female offspring. Oftentimes, several hens and their offspring will combine flocks, so it’s quite common to see 50 or more birds together. The Cornell Lab or Ornithology reports that some winter flocks can consist of 200 turkeys. Hens that were not successful hatching chicks may form smaller flocks with similar lone hens.
Male turkeys form their own flocks. Depending on population size, these too might be segregated by age classes. Young male turkeys, commonly called jakes, band together, and older males form their own groups.
All these turkey flocks will likely be located in different parts of a forest. They don’t interact much at this time of year.
They do interact with each other within a flock. At this time of year, turkeys are always with the flock and call constantly each other to ensure they’re close by. They feed and call, feed and call. These calls are all quite soft, but you can often hear them in the hardwoods if you listen closely.
Say you’re out for a hike and you stumble into a flock of turkeys. They’ll run and fly in every direction. But within minutes, they’ll begin calling. Loudly. Hens make a harsher yelp, while young chicks give a higher-pitched call, often referred to as the kee-kee.
What will be on your Thanksgiving table?
They will call to each other until the flock is reassembled. This may suggest an idyllic picture of a fall turkey flock, but let’s not get anthropomorphic. An important aspect of flock life is establishing dominance. Both male and female turkey flocks in the fall are full of squabbles, dominance displays and even fights – all establishing who is at the top of the pecking order. This is important in determining breeding rank come spring.
Occasionally, you will even hear a particularly aggressive male turkey let out a full-throated gobble. This is again establishing dominance, but it’s far less common than in the spring, when male turkeys gobble loudly and frequently.
