The inconsistency in findings demonstrate that the mechanisms of nest depredation by wild pigs are not well understood. Reports suggest that wild pigs depredate nests opportunistically 22, 23, or contrarily seek high concentrations of nests 15, although additional reports are variable 4, 18, 24. The impacts of specific nest predators, such as wild pigs, on the reproductive success of a ground-nesting bird can depend on predator behavior. Nest failure is the most substantial limitation on population growth of ground-nesting birds, and has been predominantly attributed to nest depredation 19, 20, 21. Wild pigs have been implicated as nest predators for ground-nesting birds and reptiles 15, 16, 17, 18. In particular, wild pigs alter habitat and compete with and prey upon native species 11, 12, 13, 14. In their expanded range, wild pigs have the potential to triple their population every 5 years in the absence of control efforts 10, leading to detrimental effects on native species 4. Over the past 3 decades wild pigs have rapidly expanded their range from 18 to 35 of the 50 United States 6, because of their generalist nature and continued translocation by humans 7, 8, 9, 10. Wild pigs were first introduced to North America by European colonists in the early 1500s 5. In particular, the negative impact of invasive wild pigs ( Sus scrofa) also termed feral swine, feral hogs, or wild boars 3 on native ecosystems has become an increasing concern as populations of wild pigs continue to expand 4. Generalist invasive species negatively impact native species by both consuming and competing with the native species for resources 1, 2. Management efforts should remove wild pigs to reduce nest failure in wild turkey populations especially where recruitment is low. However, male wild pigs increased their rate of depredation in areas with higher nest densities. Female wild pigs exhibited a constant rate of depredation regardless of nesting period or density of nests. Overall, the estimated probability of nest depredation by wild pigs was 0.3, equivalent to native species of nest predators in the study area (e.g., gray fox, raccoon, and coyote ). We constructed simulated wild turkey nests throughout the home ranges of 20 GPS-collared wild pigs to evaluate nest depredation relative to three periods within the nesting season (i.e., early, peak, and late) and two nest densities (moderate = 12.5-25 nests/km 2, high = 25-50 nests/km 2) in south-central Texas, USA during March–June 2016. We sought to gain better insight on the magnitude of wild pigs depredating wild turkey nests. Invasive wild pigs ( Sus scrofa) are known to depredate nests, and have been expanding throughout the distributed range of wild turkeys in North America. Depredation of wild turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo) nests is a leading cause of reduced recruitment for the recovering and iconic game species.
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