Wild turkeys take over parts of LI again after years of being absent

People who live in the community say the turkeys travel in packs of 30, 50 - even up to 100 at a time.

Krista McNally

Nov 19, 2024, 10:29 PM

Updated 13 days ago

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Birds of a feather flock together, and that seems to be true for neighbors on Hollins Lane in East Islip, who have embraced the influx of wild turkeys.
People who live in the community say the turkeys travel in packs of 30, 50 - even up to 100 at a time.
Turkeys roamed free on Long Island in the 1800s, according to the DEC, and then became nearly extinct.
John Di Leonardo, executive director of Humane Long Island, says the DEC started to re-introduce the wild turkey in the 90's.
“We brought them back to make sure we had good genetic and biodiversity here on Long Island," says Chip Hamilton, a wildlife biologist with the NYS DEC.
The Long Island turkey population is now estimated at more than 3,000 birds and growing, according to the DEC.