Wild Turkeys Spotted in the Backyard

Today we spotted some wild turkeys crossing our backyard. Unfortunately, the picture above was taken by someone else; so, those are NOT the turkeys we saw this afternoon. But they are New Jersey wild turkeys.

According to Julie Feinstein at the American Museum of Natural History on this page:

Flocks of wild turkeys are a common sight in southern New Jersey. It’s a relatively new phenomenon and it’s fabulous to see them! There were no wild turkeys in the state between 1850 and about 1950. The historically abundant birds were locally extinct.

It is thought that some wild turkeys from Pennsylvania may have colonized New Jersey around 1950. Then in 1977, state game managers introduced 22 wild turkeys. The flock prospered and grew enough so that two years later some of the turkeys could be captured and relocated to establish new populations. The introductions were spectacularly successful! There are over 20,000 turkeys in New Jersey now. We see them by the road sides, in backyards, in the woods, in empty lots, and walking among the spring crops.