 |
“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.
 |
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.
 |
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 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
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