HABITAT AND TURKEY RESTORATION: Good habitat supports 
Turkey restoration. Details ahead on Passport to Texas. 

This is Passport to Texas

Texas has three sub-species of Turkey: the Rio Grande is 
the most abundant, followed by the Eastern and then by 
the Merriam. Without good habitat, none will thrive.

02—They have to have good structural cover.

Jason Hardin, Turkey Program Leader at TPW, says this 
may include low-growing, woody cover for nesting.  

10— It provides like an umbrella that they sit underneath to 
protect from avian predators and then also weather elements. 
And then also, grasses, weeds, forbes growing up to provide 
vertical cover. 
 
Think of woody cover as you would a deer blind: you can 
see out, but nothing sees in. This feature is critical when 
hens are on nests and raising poults. The biggest threat 
to good turkey recruitment (nest success and poult 
survival) overall is weather.

20— Because that nesting rate, re-nesting rate, poult survival—
all that’s driven essentially by moisture and the climate. So, if 
we have three years of drought, you’re going to see that Rio 
Grande type turkey population begin to decline. So, it’s 
something we try to pay attention to. And over a long term—
five ten years—is there something beyond weather that’s 
causing a shift in that population.

In addition, the lack of fire to burn out dense understory 
growth from an abundance of rain, impacts Eastern 
turkey habitat. The value of fire when managing habitat—
that’s tomorrow.

The Wildlife Restoration Program Supports our Series.

For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti. 




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