On a recent Sunday birding trip to Osceola County, I had to stop my car and pull off the road. There was flock (or, more specifically, a rafter) of turkeys walking along.
The group had two hens and at least 10 poults — baby turkeys. This seems to be common behavior, according to AllAboutBirds.org. “Newly hatched chicks follow the female, who feeds them for a few days until they learn to find food on their own. As the chicks grow, they band into groups composed of several hens and their broods,” the website said.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says there are two types of wild turkeys in Florida — the eastern wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) and the Osceola or Florida wild turkey (M.g. osceola). I think the ones I saw were Osceola turkeys.
I saw two more hens a few days later, but without any poults (or they could have been hiding in the tall grass).
The FWC is asking residents to report turkey sightings now through Aug. 31 for its Summer Brood Survey. More on that here.
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