The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) provides the most reliable national data for monitoring the Wild Turkey population in Canada, though the precision of the trend estimate is poor. BBS results indicate that the species has undergone a dramatic population increase and range expansion in southern Canada. The increases began in the 1980s, likely due to restoration activities (Bowman 2007), and appear to be ongoing. The provincial breeding bird atlases in Ontario (see below), Québec (Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Quebec 2017), and British Columbia (Chutter 2015b) all suggest large increases in detections, and help to corroborate the BBS results. The atlases and the BBS may include some observations based on calls and sightings of pen-raised birds that have been released into the wild (sometimes illegally). BBS results for North America indicate that similar increases are occurring throughout the Wild Turkey population in the United States, where the bulk of the breeding population resides. Due to the large size of the population increases and the agreement among surveys, the overall reliability of this assessment is considered high. The Wild Turkey is at an acceptable level relative to its national population goal (see BBS Canada graph below).
Additional information on: Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) - Canadian analysis
Additional information on: Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Ontario
