February 24,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, once again we have herd report of wild turkeys going on a rampage in the Village near the Ho Ho Kus Brooke . While the majestic bird can be fun to watch do not under estimate their tenacity if they are provoked . Two years ago four wild turkeys stopped traffic on Passaic Road in Paramus and Paramus Police were forced to respond in force and removed the Turkeys safely . In 2016 a in a well publicized event a Hillsdale mailmen was attacked by rampaging birds and in the same year Teaneck was forced to use air horns to drive turkeys from a local park.
The wild turkey is an upland ground bird native to North America and is the heaviest member of the diverse Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which was originally derived from a southern Mexican subspecies of wild turkey. Although native to North America, the turkey probably got its name from the domesticated variety being imported to Britain in ships coming from the Levant via Spain. The British at the time therefore associated the wild turkey with the country Turkey and the name prevails.
Remember that wild turkeys have a pecking order and that habituated birds may respond to you as they do to another turkey. The best defense against aggressive or persistent turkeys is to prevent the birds from becoming habituated in the first place by being bold to them.
If confronted , keep away they are extremely dangerous .It is best to call the Ridgewood Police or animal control, fear not most Bergen county Police departments are well versed in the safe removal of Turkeys !
