Turkeys Block Traffic in Arlington, Put Everyone in a Fowl Mood

You may have noticed a group of turkeys standing in the middle of some of Arlington’s busiest roads.

Arlington Police posted about the stubborn birds on its Facebook page around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 5. According to police, a flock of turkeys were gathering on some of Arlington’s busy streets during the mid-morning commute, further delaying a drive already difficult due to the snow.

You may be thinking turkeys are no problem. Just honk a horn, maybe rev your engine, and they’ll scatter just like any skittish animal. But Arlington police say that won’t work.

“Now don’t tell them I said this, but they are not the smartest birds,” police posted on Facebook. “This is part of the reason it can be challenging to navigate around them and they don’t seem to understand that your car is way bigger and they should get out of the road.”

In fact, instead of running away one turkey followed the blue lights of an Arlington police car earlier today. Police say this is because turkeys are attracted to shiny lights and object.

They ask Arlington residents to avoid taking pictures of turkeys, especially with a flash, and feeding them. Actions like that make turkeys bolder around people and, police say, there have been reports of turkeys flying at people when they see the flash of a camera.

But police say not to let an aggressive turkey intimidate you. Making loud noises, swatting them with a broom or spraying them with a hose should make turkeys run away.

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Image via Arlington Police

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