Urban turkeys make themselves at home, strutting through neighborhoods and surprising residents with their bold presence. Across the state, an abundance of urban turkeys has taken over Minnesota.
Junior Ryan Kari encounters them whenever he takes walks on Summit Avenue or downtown St. Paul.
“I don’t try to bother them so I don’t have that many interactions … but I think they look cool,” Kari said.
According to the Department of National Resources, urban turkeys were reintroduced into Minnesota in 1971. Since the modest beginning of 29 turkeys over 30 years ago, the population has grown to more than 70,000 today.
“When I am driving to volleyball in Lake Elmo, I will often see a group of turkeys on the side of the road; one time my mom almost hit one,” ninth-grader Naomi Mann said.
Like it or not, urban turkeys are part of the fabric of living in Minnesota; however, admirers of the birds have gone to new levels. A flock that hangs out near the University of Minnesota campus is so beloved that the students created @turkeysofumn on Instagram for the turkeys. The account’s 4,700+ followers enjoy videos and photos of urban turkeys roaming the campus, blocking roads and roosting in trees.
Their peculiar nature has created strange interactions. English teacher Akie Kutsunai has had turkeys impede her ability to get to school.
“There were some turkeys very sedately crossing the road from someone’s yard into the forest on the hill, so I slowed down to let them cross … [then] a dog bolted across the road in front of me, determined to chase the turkeys into the woods,” Kutsunai said.
They added that “They were completely unimpressed and flew further up the hill, scolding the dog the whole time…I felt like I was watching a cartoon.”
The growth of the urban turkey population has not only brewed fascination. As the number of turkeys increases, harmful interactions also occur. Some turkeys have acclimated to urban living and thus have become too comfortable with humans, displaying aggressive behavior by chasing homeowners, children, and pets.
“They parade around our front lawn every fall and scare our cats,” senior Leila Mosenfelder said. “Sometimes they even fly up to our tall trees and look down at us.”
In spring and early summer, urban turkeys congregate on busy highways, dodging vehicles and blocking traffic. Turkeys on the roads are not quickly forced away either; they often have to be forcibly removed, unlike squirrels or other small animals that move out of the road as soon as a car approaches.
The illegal practice of raising and releasing turkeys has only aggravated the situation. Minnesota State law prohibits the release of pen-raised turkeys due to the possibility of introducing disease and contaminating the gene pool of urban turkeys.
Sophomore Roman Hozalski echoed the experience of a lot of faculty and students when he said he sees turkeys “in people’s back yards, in the street, in tennis and basketball courts, in parks.”
To manage this growing issue, the DNR’s urban life experts suggest never intentionally feeding urban turkeys. Use deterrents such as loud noises, water spray, or even a leashed dog to discourage aggressive behavior. Community education and implementing these proper urban life management strategies will ensure that humans and turkeys coexist.
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