By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Bowling Green residents are accustomed to seeing rabbits, squirrels, deer and even fox in their neighborhoods. But lately, large feathered gobblers are showing up in yards across the city – causing citizens to be on the lookout for the butterballs.
On Facebook, Bowling Green residents have posted photos of wild turkeys in their yards, with some gobblers even venturing onto porches. Several sightings have been noted, with citizens sharing where they feasted their eyes on turkeys in town:
- He’s obviously looking for the bird streets, one Facebook post stated.
- Had one walking right down the middle of West Reed yesterday evening.
- We have had a turkey on our street by the high school for months. Has come every night around 8:30 to roost in my neighbors tree.
- It stopped traffic on Fairview about 7 last night.
- We saw one a couple weeks back on Bourgogne.
- We’ve had over 30 of them wander across our property.
- There’s a wild one that visits mine and my neighbor’s yard on Haskins often.
Cinda Stutzman, natural resources specialist with Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department, has not seen any of the turkeys roosting in town – though she would like to.
“Why don’t I get to see the turkeys?” Stutzman said.
The wild turkeys would be welcome in Wintergarden Park, where Stutzman works.
“I haven’t seen a single one. But I’m kind of excited that they are wandering around,” she said. “I’m pretty sure we can co-exist.”
For years, wild turkeys – the largest game bird in the U.S. – were scarce after being over-hunted in Ohio. Then hunting regulations were implemented that allowed turkeys to once again thrive. And the fact that corn fields border Bowling Green may make the city appealing to turkeys.
“People have predicted for years that turkeys would make a comeback in the country,” Stutzman said.
Traditionally, wild turkeys are not brazen birds. Unlike Canada geese that are known for having real attitudes, turkeys are normally more wary of humans, according to Sara Zaleski, of the Ohio Department of Wildlife.
“Wild turkeys tend to be very shy,” Zaleski said. “They tend to avoid humans.”
And they have excellent eyesight, so they usually spot people before people see them, Zaleski said.
“Turkeys can get defensive during mating season,” but they pose no threats to humans, she said.
In the wild, turkeys eat seeds, nuts, berries, and bugs for protein. For them to wander into residential areas, it probably means there are food sources nearby, she said.
“Turkeys typically show up where there’s good habitat and food,” Zaleski said. It may be that food is being left out for other wildlife, or there are gardens or landscaping that are tasty to turkeys.
Wild turkeys stand 3 to 4 feet tall and weigh up to 24 pounds. They have slim builds, long necks, and nearly featherless heads. The body feathers appear drab brown at a distance, but are actually iridescent when the bird appears in good light.
“They are pretty distinct,” Zaleski said.
Wild turkeys are very adaptable animals. Although they prefer mature forests, with substantial cover and suitable food sources, they can live successfully in areas with as little as 15 percent forest cover. Wild turkeys make a variety of sounds, including a male’s gobble, the hen’s yelp, a poult’s peep, an alarm call that sounds like putt, and an assortment of purrs, trills, croaks, whines, and barks. The best known of these vocalizations is the gobble.
Here are some facts from the National Wild Turkey Federation:
- Wild turkeys are considered fringe birds that can live close to civilization. They are often around big woodlots adjoining neighborhoods and more birds can be seen living closer to home than ever before.
- Wild turkey populations have grown and some birds wind up on the fringe of city limits. These turkeys act differently than most rural birds found in remote lands or swamps.
- Turkeys tend to become comfortable with their surroundings, especially when no hunting is involved. Humans are no longer perceived as threats.
- Turkeys flock to areas where there is a lot to eat, usually at the edge of town, and think with their stomachs.
- A turkey considers a car to be less of a threat than a walking human. When turkeys stand near roads, slow down and don’t honk your horn. A frightened wild turkey may fly up and crash through your windshield, causing damage and probable injury.
- Don’t feed turkeys in your backyard. This makes them return for easy meals.
According to the National Audubon Society, “Benjamin Franklin would have preferred to have the Wild Turkey, not the Bald Eagle, chosen as the national symbol of the United States. Although the barnyard variety is a rather stupid creature (leading to the insulting tone of the term ‘turkey’), the original wild form is a wary and magnificent bird. Wild Turkeys usually get around by walking or running, but they can fly strongly, and they typically roost overnight in tall trees.”
