Today, very little woodland or savanna remains in the U.S. Most of it has been cleared for development, farming or livestock grazing. The open spaces that are left often are not suitable for wild turkeys: They need a well-developed layer of vegetation at ground level that includes mainly wild flowers, native grasses and young shrubs and trees to provide cover for nesting and raising their young.

Very few of the remaining lands suitable for wild turkeys are managed using frequent, low-intensity prescribed fire, which creates and maintains a mosaic of open forest and grassland by continually setting back growth of trees, shrubs and vines. Suppressing fire in these forests across the eastern U.S. allows them to change from open forest dominated by fire-adapted grasses and wildflowers to closed forests with dense canopies, creating shady, moist conditions with minimal vegetation near ground level.

Turkeys can persist in these denser, shaded forests, but they don’t reproduce as successfully, and fewer of their young survive. The lack of ground vegetation makes it hard for hens to hide their nests, and it limits food supplies for young turkey poults.

This isn’t just a problem for wild turkeys. Over the past 50 years, populations of bird species that live in open forests and grasslands have fallen by more than 50%. Grasslands and savannas support hundreds of other wild species as well, many of which are declining.

Scientists have proposed other explanations for turkey declines, but many of these hypotheses are at least partly habitat issues.

For example, blame is often placed on more abundant predators that eat turkey eggs, such as raccoons and opossums. But these predators probably are more abundant in part due to changes in turkey habitat.

For example, a 2024 study found that a range of mammals that eat turkey eggs were observed 70% of the time when prescribed burning was not used, but were observed less than 10% of the time in open forests where planned burns were conducted biannually. This suggests that prescribed fire across the wild turkey’s range creates an environment that’s more favorable for turkeys than for their predators.

Some observers have suggested that turkeys may be so abundant that the landscape can’t support their current population, so now they are declining to a more sustainable level. If turkey habitat remained stable, we would expect to see their numbers go up and down naturally, but their average abundance over time would remain the same. Instead, turkey numbers appear to be slowly but steadily falling in many areas – perhaps signaling that habitat availability is declining along with turkey populations.

What about food supplies? Young turkeys feed on insects, so insect declines may explain some observed changes in turkey populations. According to one calculation, land-dwelling bird species that depend on insects as food have declined by 2.9 billion individuals over the past 50 years, while those species that don’t have gained by 26.2 million individuals.

Insect losses could explain why fewer turkeys are surviving to adulthood, but insects depend on plants, so this shift is likely also linked to habitat changes. And where land is managed to promote native flowers and grasses, there also are abundant pollinators, ants, grasshoppers and spiders that turkeys relish.

Lastly, some observers have proposed that the timing of hunting could be affecting turkey reproduction. However, a recent study in Tennessee found that this was not the case. Another recent study showed that hunters in the Southeast were harvesting about the same share of male turkeys as when turkey populations were growing rapidly. If current turkey harvest rates are unsustainable, the explanation is likely that wild turkey productivity has declined for other reasons, such as habitat.

Land owners can help by managing for native grasses and wildflowers on their property, which will provide breeding habitat for turkeys. We have produced podcast episodes that discuss which plants are valuable to turkeys and other wildlife, and how to promote and maintain plants that are turkey-friendly.

People who don’t own land can support state and local efforts to restore wildlife, contribute to local wildlife conservation groups and buy hunting licenses, which help to fund wildlife management programs. With the right conditions, this iconic North American species could thrive yet again.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and analysis to help you make sense of our complex world.

Read more:
Animals large and small once covered North America’s prairies – and in some places, they could again

It’s OK to feed wild birds – here are some tips for doing it the right way

Marcus Lashley receives funding from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and Turkeys for Tomorrow.

William Gulsby receives funding from the Alabama Wildlife Federation, Turkeys for Tomorrow and the National Wild Turkey Federation.