The wild turkey is a large, highly visible presence in North American forests and grasslands, but it serves a prominent role in the food web as a prey species. Despite its size and wariness, the turkey is targeted by a diverse array of animals across every stage of its life cycle, from unhatched eggs to mature adults.
Primary Predators of Adult Turkeys
Mature wild turkeys, particularly the large males (toms) and older females (hens), are hunted by a smaller group of large, specialized carnivores. These predators rely on stealth and surprise to overcome the turkey’s sharp eyesight and rapid take-off speed.
Bobcats are highly effective predators, utilizing a sit-and-pounce strategy where they ambush unsuspecting birds. These cats hunt from the ground or elevated positions, allowing them to seize a bird from a short rush.
Coyotes are also significant terrestrial hunters, often stalking turkeys before exploding into a quick pursuit. Gamebirds, including wild turkeys, appear frequently in coyote diets, indicating a successful predation rate. Their main strategy against adult turkeys is often an opportunistic ambush.
Avian predators also pose a threat to full-grown turkeys, particularly when the birds are at a disadvantage. Great horned owls, which are nocturnal, attack turkeys on their overnight roost sites. Turkeys have poor night vision, giving the owl a distinct advantage when attacking a stationary, sleeping bird.
Golden eagles, powerful diurnal raptors, are capable of attacking adult turkeys from high above. While they may favor younger prey, they can successfully take down healthy, mature birds when the opportunity arises.
Threats to Nests and Young Poults
The most vulnerable stages of the turkey life cycle are the nest, containing eggs, and the newly hatched chicks, known as poults. Approximately 50% of nests fail due to predation. This high mortality rate is driven by smaller, ground-level predators that rely heavily on scent to locate the stationary, incubating hen.
Raccoons are considered one of the top nest predators, efficiently locating nests by traveling downwind of likely nesting areas. They use their highly developed sense of smell, which is especially effective during wet weather. Skunks and opossums also frequently raid nests, consuming the eggs and occasionally the incubating hen if she does not abandon the clutch.
Upon hatching, the poults face an even greater gauntlet of threats; more than 70% of poults may be lost to predators in the first two weeks of life. Animals like the gray fox will target young poults that are still roosting on the ground with the hen. Even snakes, such as the black rat snake, consume turkey eggs, acting as a specialized nest predator.
Smaller avian species, including crows and ravens, are opportunistic threats. They will swoop down on exposed nests or pick off young poults that wander from the protective presence of the mother hen. Only about one in eight poults survives to six months of age.
Scavengers and Opportunistic Feeders
Not all animals that consume turkey actively hunt the bird; many feed on carrion, the remains of a turkey killed by another cause. Turkey vultures are the most recognized obligate scavengers, possessing an exceptional sense of smell that allows them to detect decaying flesh even under a dense forest canopy. They use their eyesight to spot carcasses from high altitudes.
Black vultures are also common scavengers and frequently follow turkey vultures to a carcass, as black vultures have a less developed sense of smell. These two species, along with corvids like ravens, act as the environment’s cleanup crew, consuming the remains of turkeys that died from injury or disease.
Many primary predators will also readily scavenge a turkey carcass, blurring the line between hunter and opportunist. Coyotes feed on dead animals when fresh prey is scarce, and their feeding often leaves ragged edges on muscle tissue. Opossums are generalist feeders and will consume whatever food source they encounter, including turkey carrion and the remains of poults.