Wild turkey roost selection is more consistently associated with tree traits than microclimate

Animals must cope with a range of climatic conditions across seasons, and they can accomplish this by selecting habitats that are favourable for thermoregulation. Sheltering from environmental conditions can be particularly important for reducing energetic costs when animals are inactive, but the influence of microclimate on the fine‐scale selection of sleeping sites is often unclear. We compared microclimate at eastern wild turkey Meleagris gallopavo silvestris roost trees during summer and winter in southern Ontario, Canada, near the northern part of the turkeys' range. During both winter and summer, overnight air temperature and wind speed at turkey roost trees were similar to those at nearby non‐roost trees. We found weak evidence of less precipitation at roost trees compared to non‐roost trees in summer, but the effect was uncertain due to limited rainfall events and the coarse resolution of our precipitation measurement methods. Fine‐scale selection of roost trees was better predicted by tree characteristics, with turkeys preferring larger trees in both seasons, and deciduous trees in summer. Our findings suggest that while roost trees may occasionally provide thermoregulatory benefits, eastern wild turkeys in our study region – which lies in the northern portion of their range – more consistently select larger trees in forested patches of predominantly agricultural landscapes.