Wild turkeys saunter freely in Detroit suburb

Wild turkeys have been walking about the streets of Detroit suburb, pecking at windows and eating from bird feeders.

Photo: Wild turkeys saunter freely in Detroit suburb

The skittish birds are generally found in rural areas or large parks, but naturalists and wildlife experts say the turkeys could get used to life in this city of more than 78,000 people.

"Wherever you have a suburb that still has large stands of big trees left, where they think they are comfortable, you may be prone to having wild turkeys," said Joe Derek, city naturalist for Farmington Hills.

Tim Payne, southeast Michigan wildlife supervisor for the state Department of Natural Resources, said the birds may be growing accustomed to city life.

"They are very adaptive," he said. "If they've got cover and protection, they can adapt to people."