Found a nest on July 22nd -- wild turkey?

[Hammer Handle]

I found a nest with three eggs in the center of it. The nest was on the ground and in the tall grass near a very small tree. The eggs were white and slightly bigger than a chicken egg.

Wild Turkey nest? I suspect the eggs did not hatch and the mother left the nest. There are wild turkeys in the area.

[Steve Foss]

Sounds like a good possibility. If the nest was abandoned, it wasn't long ago, because critters like skunks and coons in turkey country would long since have gobbled those eggs.

I don't know if turkeys re-clutch after the destruction of an earlier brood. Three eggs does sound a bit light for a turkey. Did nest look like three eggs fit just right, or was there a lot more room?

Anyone know if turkeys re-clutch?

[Hammer Handle]

The eggs were positioned perfectly surrounding the middle of the nest. The nest was bigger than the three eggs and could have room for more.

Would they re-clutch this late in the year?

I have seen a Tom and female turkey in the area very recently...but only these two.

[Powerstroke]

Turkey breeding activity is usually in April, occasionally into May. Turkey's lay 8-12 eggs to a nest by laying one egg a day. A tuekey mates daily to get that one egg a day. Turkey eggs are white and mottled/speckled brown.

Although I think anything is possible, I highly doubt these are from a Turkey. It would be interesting to know what they are though. The turkey poults I've seen around the cities are already about 12" tall and are able to fly pretty well.

[Steve Foss]

So are you saying turkeys re-clutch, or not?

[Powerstroke]

I don't know if turkey's reclutch. I guess I'm not aware of it, but I'm not a biologist. Maybe Joel could say one way or the other.

[Greybeard53]

Yes, wild turkeys definately re-lay if their nest is destroyed, but not this late in the year. Like Powerstroke said, turkey eggs are a distinct mottled brown, so if these were white it rules out a wild turkey.

[Hammer Handle]

I will take pictures this weekend and try to post (if I can figure out how).

[Hotspotter]

Sounds like quite the mystery. Not many birds with eggs that size are ground nesters, and the color of the egg isn't quite right for a turkey. I've found cracked turkey eggshells that have weathered to a whitish appearance, but even then, the speckling is readily apparent.

The egg size and coloration sounds more like that of Canada Geese, but they should be long done with nesting as well I think?

Another thing to look for is lack of structure to the nest itself. All the unhatched wild turkey eggs I've found have sat in a clearing on the ground, not inside a well-constructed "nest" as you'd think of a songbird nesting in. There's leaves and sticks pushed to the edges, but not like they're sitting in a basket-like structure.

Turkeys will lay several times, and willing toms are usually not in short supply. However, most hens by this time have more than moved on for the summer. The last full nest I heard of in our area was mid-June, and I thought that to be quite late.

I guess anything's possible, but it sounds like a large domesticated chicken is on the loose Would be cool to see the photos.

I would contact the MN DNR and forward the photos. I'm sure one of their avian biologists would be more than willing to help!

Joel

[Steve Foss]

HH, there's a thread stickied at the top of the photo sharing board with posting directions.