 Breeding evidence |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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12.5 (8.04 - 16.1)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Wild Turkey were reported in several locations in the extreme southeastern corner of the province in the vicinity of Estevan, Oxbow, and Moose Mountain, as well as an isolated report further west in Avonlea. A large influx of sightings occurred in 2019, and there was a steady trickle in the following years of the atlas in the region. Post-atlas there continues to be sightings near Estevan, including a hen with young chicks, as well as records from Avonlea and further west near Eastend and the Great Sand Hills. Eastern birds may originate from North Dakota and Manitoba.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The Wild Turkey is the ancestor of all domestic turkeys. The largest upland game bird, it is much prized where found in huntable numbers. Males (toms) weigh up to 10 kg, while females (hens) are approximately half their size. Originally native only to the southern and eastern US, southern Ontario, and Mexico, it has been widely introduced into the western US and southern Canada.
Perhaps because of the shortage of suitable habitat and harsh winters, stocking efforts have failed in firmly establishing the species in Saskatchewan. Turkeys require large mature stands of deciduous trees, especially oaks, particularly for their seed and nut (mast) production and for roosting at night. A mosaic of mature deciduous or mixedwood forest and small openings supporting berry bushes and grasses is ideal habitat (Edminster 1954, Ed Kinnett).
Wild Turkeys were first introduced in 1962 in the Cypress Hills in Alberta (Semenchuk 1992). By the mid-1960s some of these birds had appeared in the West Block on the Saskatchewan side of the Hills, and by 1970, had moved into the Centre Block and subsequently north to Maple Creek. Introductions of Wild Turkeys to other localities in southern Saskatchewan have been unsuccessful. However, small populations have persisted for years at Duck Mountain (ca. 1986-2000) and at Broadview (1997-2011). Recent reports from the Oxbow area may be birds moving north from North Dakota along the Souris River valley (D Sawatzky).
Original text by Wayne Pepper. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Wild Turkey in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Wild Turkey in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=WITU&lang=en [09 Nov 2025]
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