Scrub turkeys are nature’s builders. Each breeding season they spend many hours raking together mulch, twigs and leaves to create huge mounds (up to 5 m round), to function as nests.
Scrub turkey males are very determined to create the best mound – bigger is definitely better for scrub turkeys! They can often destroy gardens in less than a day, and have been known to remove mulch from one garden and relocate it across the road to another garden, just to improve the size of their mounds. In fact the males urge to control a territory means they will steal mulch from another males nest, taking any chance they have to increase their chance to attract more females to lay eggs in their mound.
Brush Turkey Mounds
Nests can include some unusual things mixed in with the mulch as the frantic males scratch up anything they can move into the main mound. One male scrub turkey dragged clothing and sheets from a clothesline and incorporated them into his nest, while another nest was found to include a plastic Christmas tree, buried under the mulch!
Once a male turkey has selected a spot for his mound there is nothing you can do to stop them from building, they will build right over mesh, tarps and even furniture just making it a part of their mound.
Brush turkeys are an important part of our natural environment and it is hoped they will build their mounds in areas where they don’t have conflicts with gardeners but if they are causing you grief we can help.
Scrub turkeys are protected and cannot be removed without a permit. We are licensed by the wildlife department to set a cage and relocate them out to natural areas in the hope they will choose a new more natural setting for their new mound.
So if they aren’t welcome to nest in your garden, as soon as you spot a scrub turkey starting a mound, give us a call and we will relocate him (while you still have a garden).
