Sunday, March 21, 2021

Turkey or Goose Tracks? ©

 

 

Photograph by the Author.


Turkey tracks!  Goose tracks!  Turkey tracks!  Goose tracks!  Almost sounds like a Looney Tunes cartoon, doesn’t it1; but that is what my wife and I were thinking when we came across these tracks.

 

We had gone out for a walk and we came across some tracks in the wet snow of Cazenovia Park’s golf course.  She thought that they were Canada Goose2 (branta canadensis) tracks, but I thought that some of them were wild turkey (meleagris gallopavo) tracks because some of the tracks had no sign of webbed feet.  So, since there was a question and no answer, when I got home, I did what I always do, and did some research. 

 

Are they turkey tracks or goose tracks, and the verdict is...!

 

Objection!  Before we can get to the verdict, we need to look at the evidence.

 

Photograph by the Author.


How can we tell which tracks are turkey tracks and which tracks are goose tracks?  They look similar, are there any distinguishing features which we can use to tell them apart?  Yes, yes there are.

 

Photograph by the Author.


Canada Goose tracks...

 

Adapted from page 324 of Roger Tory Peterson, Animal Tracks: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition.


Canada goose tracks are about 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.5 cm) long from the tip of the middle toe to the back of the heel, and the goose’s stride is 18 inches (46 cm) long, and their straddle3 is about 12 inches (30 cm) wide.  The feet of the canada goose are webbed, and in soft snow or mud, an imprint of the webbing might be visible.  Their feet also point inwards when walking and leave a pigeon-toed track.

 

Wild Turkey tracks...

 

From page 327 of Roger Tory Peterson, Animal Tracks: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition.


The length of wild turkey tracks is also about 4 to 5 inches (10 to 12.5 cm) long and are 4 to 5-½ inches (10 to almost 14 cm) wide.  Wild turkeys have a stride between 12 to 32 inches (30 to 80 cm) long, depending on their age, size and whether they are walking or running, and a straddle of 6 to 7-½ inches (15 to almost 19 cm), which is narrower than a canada goose’s straddle.  There are four features of turkey tracks (these many times only appear when the tracking conditions are at their best), which distinguish them from canada goose tracks, they have claws on the tips of their toes, they have a fourth toe on the rear of their foot, pointing backwards, they have pebble-like pads on their toes, and their feet aren’t webbed, of course.  When they are walking slowly, wild turkeys often drag the claw on the tip of their middle toe, leaving a mark.

 

Photograph by the Author.  For scale, the Author’ knife, shown in the picture, is 5 inches (13 cm) long. 


But what about scat?

 


 

From page 331 and 332 of Roger Tory Peterson, Animal Tracks: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition.


Maybe the scat will help us identify our mystery bird track maker?  Canada goose scat is about 3-½ inches (7.75 cm) long and from the drawing in Roger Tory Peterson’s Animal Tracks, are about 2/3 of an inch (16 mm) wide, and since canada geese are grazers, the scat is made up of plant matter.  Wild turkey scat is about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long and according to the drawing in Roger Tory Peterson’s Animal Tracks, it is about 1 inch (2.5 cm wide); turkeys are mostly herbivores and their scat is composed largely of plant matter.  The scat of both turkeys4 and canada geese have white caps, on one end, where the uric acid is excreted.

 

Photograph by the Author.  For scale, the Author’ knife, shown in the picture, is 5 inches (13 cm) long. 


Unfortunately for us, the tracks and scats of wild turkey and canada geese are both similar.  The tracks are about the same size and both have similar stride patterns.  Since canada goose tracks often don’t show the imprint of the web, and turkey tracks don’t always show the imprint of the rear-facing toe, we must rely on the fact that canada geese walk pigeon-toed.  In the picture above we can clearly see that our unknown track maker didn’t leave an imprint of webbing, had tracks that were about 5 inches (12.5 cm) long and wide, walked pigeon-toed, had a stride of about 12 inches (30 cm), and so was most likely a Canada goose (branta canadensis), which is known to frequent Cazenovia Park’s golf course.

 

Photograph by the Author.


Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Teaberry, Checkerberry, Boxberry or the American Wintergreen©”, where we will talk all about Wintergreen.


 I hope that you enjoy learning from this resource!  To help me to continue to provide valuable free content, please consider showing your appreciation by leaving a donation HERE.  Thank you and Happy Trails!


I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at Bandanaman Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

1 From “Rabbit Fire”, a 1951 Looney Tunes

 

2 According to Languagehat, while the name for this goose is officially canada goose, over time, it has become more common to call it canadian goose.  The plural of canada goose is canada geese.

 

From Languagehat, “Canadian Geese”, January 12, 2004,

 

3 The stride is the distance between the steps, right foot to right foot and the straddle is the width between the prints.

 

4 Interestingly the scats of male and female turkeys are different shapes.  The scat of tom turkeys are 3/8 to 5/8 inches (10 to 16 mm) wide and is often hooked or J-shaped.  The scat of the hen turkeys are 3/16 to 3/8 inches (5 to 10 mm) wide and more glob shaped.  The differences in the shapes are due to each gender having a different digestive system.

 

From T Martin, “Tracking Wild Turkeys on the Georgia Coast” and Filip Tkaczyk, “Recognizing Wild Turkey Habitat”

 

 

Sources

 

“Animal Autographs”, [Illinois Periodicals Online at the Northern Illinois University Libraries, Illinois State Library], https://www.lib.niu.edu/2002/oi020805.html, accessed March 18, 2021

 

Languagehat, “Canadian Geese”, January 12, 2004, [Languagehat.com, © 2020], http://languagehat.com/canadian-geese/, accessed April 25, 2020

 

Martin, T; “Tracking Wild Turkeys on the Georgia Coast”, Life Traces of the Georgia Coast, November 20, 2012, [© 2012 Anthony Martin], http://www.georgialifetraces.com/2012/11/20/tracking-wild-turkeys-on-the-georgia-coast/, accessed March 18, 2021

 

Roger Tory Peterson, Animal Tracks: Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, (The Easton Press: Norwalk Connecticut, [1985]) page 322-332

 

Tkaczyk, Filip; “Recognizing Wild Turkey Habitat”, [© 2006-2021 Alderleaf Wilderness College], https://www.wildernesscollege.com/wild-turkey-habitat.html, accessed March 18, 2021

 

No comments:

Post a Comment