{"id":560630,"date":"2026-04-02T18:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/560630\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:11:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:11:11","slug":"are-there-usually-this-many-wild-turkeys-in-denver","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/560630\/","title":{"rendered":"Are There Usually This Many Wild Turkeys In Denver?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"A
\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWild turkeys have been spotted throughout the Denver metro, from downtown garages to residential neighborhoods. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

RCsSnaps and Mindless_Warthog_751 via Reddit <\/p>\n

Why did the turkey<\/a> cross Colorado Boulevard<\/a>? <\/p>\n

Many Denver residents asked themselves that question this past week, as wild turkeys have been increasingly spotted throughout the metro area. A slew of social media posts over the past two weeks have documented the avian adventurers roaming downtown parking garages<\/a> and busy intersections<\/a>, and resting in residential yards<\/a> and atop cars<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Greenwood Village police received multiple reports of turkeys wandering<\/a> the streets near the Denver Tech Center<\/a> on Monday, March 30, said city spokesperson Megan Copenhaver.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just looking for snacks, strutting their stuff, and occasionally crossing roads (reasons unknown, but we suspect it\u2019s for the thrill),\u201d Copenhaver says. <\/p>\n

Turkeys are native to Colorado and found all over the state. The birds can be seen in urban areas year-round, but they\u2019re particularly active this time of year, explains Kara Van Hoose, spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The birds become more visible during April and May, as it is peak mating season. Metro residents will continue to encounter wild turkeys over the next several weeks, but they should be careful not to approach them, Van Hoose says. <\/p>\n

\u201cMale turkeys (toms) can be more aggressive during mating season as they try to find multiple mates,\u201d she adds. \u201cIf you do come across a turkey, give them lots of space. Do not feed or attract turkeys to your yard. They do not need our help finding food or water and unnatural food can be harsh or harmful on their digestive system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copenhaver encourages motorists to drive slowly, especially in neighborhoods near parks, in case the animals unexpectedly jump in the road.<\/p>\n

\u201cSudden turkey crossings are the ultimate test of your brakes (and patience),\u201d Copenhaver says. <\/p>\n

If a turkey is blocking traffic or causing public safety concerns in Greenwood Village, contact the police department\u2019s non-emergency line at 303-773-2525. <\/p>\n

In Denver, if the birds are sick or injured, call Denver Animal Protection at 720-913-2080. If they\u2019re causing a disturbance, call the Denver police non-emergency line at 720-913-2000.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWith spring\u2019s arrival in Denver, many people are spending more time outside and may encounter wildlife (of all types),\u201d says Ryann Money, a spokesperson for the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment. \u201cOfficers encourage Denver residents to avoid the temptation to pet or handle these critters for both human and animal safety.\u201d <\/p>\n

If the turkey sightings seem especially prevalent in recent years, it may be because Colorado Parks and Wildlife launched an aggressive reintroduction program in the 1980s, after the turkey population was decimated by poaching and habitat destruction.<\/p>\n

Over 35,000<\/a> turkeys live in Colorado today. That\u2019s more than the number of turkeys in the entire North American continent during the Great Depression period, according to CPW. <\/p>\n

Godspeed, gobblers. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wild turkeys have been spotted throughout the Denver metro, from downtown garages to residential neighborhoods. RCsSnaps and Mindless_Warthog_751…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":560631,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[233036,79,201],"class_list":["post-560630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-animals-wildlife","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=560630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/560631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}