Yesterday, Midtown Manhattan residents were surprised to see a wild turkey confidently roaming the busy streets. The bird, known as Astoria, has become something of a local celebrity, first capturing the city’s attention when she made headlines last year.
Astoria has been making her way through the streets—possibly on the lookout for a mate. "That was a huge event," birder David Barrett told Gothamist, recounting Astoria's daring flight across the East River from Roosevelt Island to land near East 54th Street. Barrett operates the Manhattan Bird Alert account and has been keeping tabs on the bird's escapades around the city.
Onlookers on the East River Esplanade bore witness to this unexpected visitor around 11 a.m. "All of a sudden, our dog stopped and was looking up at something," Taylor Siper recounted in an interview with PIX11 News. "We were looking up in bewilderment, wondering what this bird was, when a lot of people also stopped, and were looking up and concluded it was a wild turkey.” Siper, alongside her husband and their French Bulldog, was among the crowd that saw Astoria perched on a rail before safely leaping into a park on 55th. The Sipers, despite their considerable time in the city, had never seen a turkey in such an environment before.
The presence of a wild turkey in Manhattan is a rarity, according to local wildlife experts. However, Astoria seems to have made a habit of defying the odds. "She was calling while doing it, and that’s a sign she was looking for a mate — a male turkey," Barrett interpreted her behavior as he told Gothamist. Despite the improbability of finding a suitable mate in a borough where she's believed to be the only wild turkey, Astoria continues to explore the city with unfettered curiosity.
As evening approached, Astoria switched her location from a street tree to one in a private garden, likely settling in for the night. While admirers like Denise LaVetty, who found the turkey right outside her window, enjoyed the avian diversion, Barrett and other birders hope Astoria will soon return to the safer confines of Roosevelt Island. Meanwhile, Barrett urges anyone who spots the wandering turkey to report sightings to @BirdCentralPark on X.
