Habitat overlap among bobcats (Lynx rufus), coyotes (Canis latrans), and Wild Turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in an agricultural landscape

摘要

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo Linnaeus, 1758) populations have grown considerably in the Midwestern U.S. alongside mesocarnivores, such as coyotes (Canis latrans Say, 1823) and bobcats (Lynx rufus (Schreber, 1777)). However, few studies have assessed habitat overlap between mesocarnivores and turkeys with a goal to understand potential impacts of mesocarnivores on turkeys. We captured and radiomarked bobcats, coyotes, and Wild Turkey hens in southern Illinois during 2011-2013 in an agricultural landscape and created single-species resource selection and overlap models. Wild Turkeys and bobcats demonstrated concentrated use in forested areas, whereas coyote use was highest in agricultural areas. We documented Wild Turkey nests (n = 107) and hen mortalities (n = 28), which were used to model the effect of bobcat, coyote, and Wild Turkey habitat use on turkey nest success and mortality. Increased coyote use was associated with higher nest success and increased turkey use was associated with higher probability of mortality. These findings suggest that top predators, such as coyotes, may be important and beneficial for ground-nesting avian species. With coyotes acting as the top predator throughout much of the Midwest, they are likely reducing densities of other important turkey nest predator species, thereby increasing nest success.