A wild turkey named Astoria has become a beloved local celebrity in downtown New York after settling in Battery Park, where she lives as the only wild turkey in Manhattan and is cared for by dedicated bird enthusiasts. Her journey from Queens to Roosevelt Island and finally to the Battery has captured the attention of residents and tourists, making her a symbol of urban wildlife adaptation.
Astoria first appeared in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens in 2024 before moving to the quieter gardens of Roosevelt Island. Last spring, she ventured across the East River to Battery Park in downtown Manhattan, where she now resides amidst the hustle of tourists visiting the Statue of Liberty. Her striking iridescent plumage and confident strut make her easy to spot, and she has quickly become a fixture in the park, foraging for worms and weeds in the garden beds.
Stella Hamilton, a local birder with decades of experience observing celebrity birds like Pale Male and Flaco, has formed a close bond with Astoria. Hamilton spends hours each day with the turkey, arriving around 3 p.m. and staying until Astoria roosts in a tall oak tree at sunset. She feeds Astoria unsalted peanuts and seasonal blueberries by hand, while gently discouraging children from grabbing her and shooing away unleashed dogs that might chase her. Hamilton describes Astoria as sweet, comical, and radiant, especially when the sunset illuminates her feathers.
Despite her popularity, Astoria faces significant challenges. She is solitary, with no mate in sight, as the nearest wild turkey populations are on Staten Island—about 5 miles away, beyond her flight capability. Wildlife officials, including Sunny Corrao of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, advise against feeding wild turkeys to maintain their natural fear of humans, but Hamilton and other caretakers argue that supplementary food is necessary for Astoria’s nutrition, mimicking the acorns and insects she would find in the wild.
Astoria’s presence has practical benefits for Battery Park; park manager Sean Kiely notes that she helps with landscaping by selectively eating weeds and leaving flowers untouched. However, her urban environment poses risks, including traffic, pesticides, and predators like rats and dogs. During a brief stint in the Upper East Side in April, she narrowly avoided accidents, highlighting the dangers of city life for wild animals.
The origins of Astoria remain a mystery, as wild turkeys are not native to Queens. David Barrett, who runs the Manhattan Bird Alert account, suggests she dispersed from a hatchplace to avoid competition, possibly from the Bronx or Long Island. Andrew Farnsworth of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology explains that wild turkey populations have surged in New York State after conservation efforts, with birds adapting to urban areas with interconnected green spaces.
Astoria is not the first turkey to live at Battery Park; she follows Zelda, another single hen who resided there for ten years before being fatally struck by a truck in 2014. Like Zelda, Astoria has laid unfertilized eggs, which she guards devotedly, risking starvation. Kiely and his team have a system to distract her and remove the eggs safely, learned from their experience with Zelda.
There are no plans to relocate Astoria or bring her a mate, as the urban park is unsafe for raising vulnerable turkey poults. Her fans hope she stays, enjoying the care, snacks, and protection from her human guardians. With a view of the Statue of Liberty from her roosting tree, Astoria continues to thrive as a unique and cherished figure in New York City, embodying resilience and the unexpected joys of urban nature.
