What to know about wild turkeys in Winnipeg

WATCH: Turkeys spotted in Winnipeg A pair of wild turkeys are spotted in a Winnipeg neighbourhood on July 19.

Some Winnipeggers have noticed a fowl sight on their streets this summer.

Wild turkeys have been spotted on the streets of Winnipeg throughout the spring and summer, quickly becoming part of the city’s ecosystem. Recently, the birds were spotted near Salter Street and Burrin Avenue.

“It does seem that our turkeys nowadays have come from introductions into the province over the last 100 or so years,” said Barret Miller with FortWhyte Alive. “And depending on the weather, depending on the seasons and the climate, we have more or fewer of them in any given year. And it does seem like Winnipeg has been on the upswing for wild turkey numbers for about five years now.”

Miller gives several possible factors for the possible increase in turkey population, including favourable springs, a lack of human traffic during the COVID-19 pandemic, and plentiful sources of food.

“They eat a little bit of everything,” he said. “They, in the wild, love insects. They love fruit from the trees. They'll even eat things like acorns and hazelnuts. People food does sometimes sneak into their diets. They are smart birds.

“Domestic turkeys? Not smart at all, not an intelligent bird. Their wild counterparts? Incredible problem solvers. And if something is easy to a wild animal, especially an intelligent wild animal, they're going to find that food source.”

While not dangerous, Miller says the bird can form flocks, and can expect people to hand out food if they’ve received it before.

“We need to limit hand feeding to almost none, if not none,” he said. “We need to control our garbage. A lot of the same things apply to wild turkeys as to most wild species.

“We're trying to keep wild alongside us in this urban environment. The more that we keep our food resources and food waste contained, the easier it is for those wild animals to stay wild and eat the things they're supposed to do and have those nice interactions that we are supposed to have with wild animals."

If intimidated by a wild turkey, Miller says people should make themselves as large and loud as possible to scare them away.