This month, as the weather becomes cooler and the leaves drift to the ground, it’s a perfect time to escape the city streets and take a walk along some of Berkeley’s much-loved paths. You might even encounter some of our urban wild turkey flock, frequently spotted across the Berkeley landscape.
In the U.S., turkeys once numbered in the millions until habitat loss and unregulated hunting almost brought them to extinction in the 1800s. Haunted by the eradication of the passenger pigeon, several federal laws were passed to protect the nation’s diverse wildlife, such as the Lacey Act of 1900, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act of 1937, and the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Intensive conservation efforts brought the turkeys back from numbers dwindling below 300,000 to over 7 million coast to coast.
The current species roaming around is not native to California. The birds were cannon-netted and relocated from their homes in Texas, Colorado, and Nevada to serve as sport for hunters by the California Fish and Game Commission. Hunters consider wild turkeys to be clever, often outsmarting their human predators. They can talk to each other with more than 28 distinct calls for different situations, they have great memories, and they can learn from past experiences.
Among the birds, there is a social hierarchy that is determined in the fall months. You may see them circling around each other—neck to neck, beak to beak—in battles for domination. This is to determine the pecking order for spring mating. The males are called toms, the females are called hens, and the babies are called poults. Hens are considered excellent mothers, who will often work in pairs to protect their brood and will easily adopt a lost poult. Toms are protective of their flock.
Across the country, urban turkeys have created quite a stir. They can cause traffic gridlock, chase people down, and destroy gardens. A Bay Area turkey native, Gerald, made international headlines when he went from easy-going, co-existence bird to turkey bully after people swarmed his Oakland Rose Garden home during the pandemic.
There has been much discussion regarding the turkey’s conservation success becoming an urban wildlife management challenge. Turkeys may have rebounded, but now people live in their areas. Some cities, like Davis, initiated a turkey wildlife management plan. Other regions have successfully relocated urban turkeys to rural areas that have experienced a decline in bird populations.
Others appreciate that turkeys are here to stay. Some recent Reddit readers playfully responded to an original post describing the sudden rise of turkey populations: “Sudden influx? They been out here bro. This is turkey territory.” Another wrote: “They know the Bay Area has a higher population of vegetarians, so they are safe.”
These folks see the birds’ value in consuming insects such as ticks and spiders, small reptiles, and snails. Turkeys also play a role in seed dispersal when they eat seeds and eliminate them in other areas, and they aerate the soil when they scratch around.
This is why it’s against state law to feed the birds, along with harassing, herding, harming, or disturbing them. They may become dependent on human food from open trash bins, littered around, or provided by well-meaning but uninformed neighbors. Feeding them disrupts their natural foraging behavior and can lead to urban wildlife conflict as they come to expect to be fed.
Conflict with humans can also occur during mating season or if a turkey feels threatened. If this occurs, the Audubon Society recommends that you not turn your back, make yourself larger by raising your arms, open and close an umbrella, or keep a garbage bag in your pocket to wave around and make noise.
Otherwise, if you encounter peaceful, nature-loving turkeys trotting on the trails with you, enjoy them. They’re a conservation success story, they have gorgeous plumage and active social lives, as well as an appreciation of the Berkeley paths!
