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Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Domestic turkeys are not native to Australia and may occur as escaped or released birds. Where they become feral, their feeding and scratching can damage gardens, crops and revegetation, and create nuisance around properties.

Key facts

Type: Pest animal, bird.

Native to: North America.

Established in: QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, NT.

Other names: Domestic turkey, Wild turkey (domestic type).

Best time to act: Look for birds around feeding and roosting sites at dawn or dusk, and arrange suitable control promptly when they are causing damage.

Identification

  • A large, heavy-bodied ground bird with a long neck and small, mostly bare head.
  • Plumage varies between domestic birds and may be dark and bronze-toned or mostly white.
  • Males are generally larger and may have a fleshy snood over the beak, a prominent wattle and a beard of coarse feathers on the chest.
  • Turkeys can fan their broad tail and spread their wing feathers during display.
  • Look-alike: Peafowl are also large birds, but males have a long, ornamental train with eye-like markings rather than a turkey's broad fan-shaped tail.

Where it lives

In Australia, escaped or feral turkeys may use farms, rural properties, open areas and woodland where food, water and shelter are available.

Why it matters

  • Foraging and scratching can disturb soil and damage seedlings, gardens, crops and revegetation.
  • Birds may consume stored or accessible feed and cause nuisance around homes and farm facilities.
  • Droppings can foul feeding areas and other places where birds gather.

How it spreads

  • Birds may escape from domestic keeping or be deliberately released.
  • They can move between nearby feeding and roosting areas, and establish locally where food and shelter are available.
  • People can move birds between properties; check ownership and relevant requirements before transporting or releasing them.

Control methods

  • First confirm whether the birds are owned, and seek advice from the relevant state or territory biosecurity agency about appropriate local action.
  • Prevent access to feed and sensitive areas with secure feed storage and suitable fencing or other exclusion measures.
  • Where removal is warranted, use humane capture or other methods approved by the relevant authorities, and use an experienced operator if needed.
  • Check the site after control and address remaining food or shelter that is attracting birds; report concerns to the state or territory biosecurity agency where relevant.

Site hygiene and welfare

  • Clean boots, vehicles and equipment after working in areas where birds gather, and avoid carrying soil, droppings or feathers to other sites.
  • Keep feed containers and feeding areas clean, and do not handle sick or dead birds; seek advice from the relevant authorities.
  • Use methods set out in the national model codes of practice and standard operating procedures for the species.
  • Coordinate control with neighbours and the local government biosecurity plan, as isolated effort is quickly undone by reinvasion.

Classification by state

  • Australia (national): No national listing. Managed under state and territory law.
  • Queensland: Not prohibited or restricted. Not listed as prohibited or restricted matter in Queensland. Everyone must also take all reasonable and practical steps to minimise its risks (the general biosecurity obligation).
  • New South Wales: General biosecurity duty. Not prohibited matter in NSW. The general biosecurity duty applies: anyone dealing with it must prevent, eliminate or minimise the risk it poses.
  • Victoria: Not declared. Not declared under the Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994. Other Victorian laws may still apply.
  • South Australia: Declared animal. Declared animals have legal restrictions, which can cover keeping, moving, selling and releasing them, and landowners may be required to control them.
  • Western Australia: Permitted, not declared. Listed as a permitted organism in WA, so it can be brought in, but it is not a declared pest.
  • Tasmania: Not a declared pest. Not a declared pest or prohibited matter in Tasmania. Importing animals is still controlled by Biosecurity Tasmania.
  • Northern Territory: Not a declared pest. Not on an NT declared or prohibited list. Check with the NT Government before keeping, moving or releasing it.
  • Australian Capital Territory: Not declared. Not declared under the Biosecurity Act 2023 (ACT). A general biosecurity duty still applies.

Legal obligations

Every state and territory places a duty on landholders and people working on land to prevent the spread of invasive species, such as the general biosecurity obligation in Queensland and the general biosecurity duty in New South Wales. Declarations and control requirements differ between states and local government areas, so check the current official list before work starts.

  • Queensland: Biosecurity Act 2014 (Qld), administered by Biosecurity Queensland (13 25 23)
  • New South Wales: Biosecurity Act 2015 (NSW), administered by NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development
  • Victoria: Catchment and Land Protection Act 1994 (Vic), administered by Agriculture Victoria
  • Tasmania: Biosecurity Act 2019 (Tas), administered by Biosecurity Tasmania
  • South Australia: Landscape South Australia Act 2019 (SA), administered by the regional landscape board
  • Northern Territory: Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 (NT), administered by NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment

Sources