Just back from 3 days in California's inner coast range with three of my codgerly friends. We had a ball, and you'll hear more about it soon, but for now I have only a question.
What does a turkey do when it encounters a pile of carnivore scat?
No, this isn't an April Fool's joke, and no, it doesn't gobble it down. But the picture above tells me turkeys may pause to inspect little piles of poop.
Have a look below. This is what was on the trail -- a collection of carnivore turds -- and you can see them under the hen's breast (above).
Okay, the picture doesn't show the bird actually examining the scat. The exposure was probably a little late for that. But in view of the camera's 3-5 second lag time, I suspect it was the scat that caused the bird to pause.
One of my fellow codgers suggested a reason why turkeys might examine animal scat. Maybe they recycle the seeds in it. Or maybe they attract insects that the turkey gleans with her beak.
Trail poop is always food for thought, at least for old biologists.
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