# a strange wildlife experience...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [November 11, 2002, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285 "2002-11-11T16:09:11Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/1 "2002-11-11T16:09:11Z")
Yesterday morning, at an ungodly hour, I was awakened by bizarre squawking noises from outdoors. I initially thought that perhaps one of my neighbors had decided to purchase a chicken for Sunday dinner, but it didn’t quite sound like a chicken.
Unable to ignore the noise, I peeked out the blinds and saw this rather large bird strutting about. Keep in mind that I live in the middle of DC and rarely see something that is not a pigeon, squirrel, or rat. This thing was somewhat larger than a turkey or goose, had black feathers with very even white speckles, and had a thing along its beak and head that looked kind of like a rooster’s comb only much smaller.
I would love to identify it, but for now, I’m still flabbergasted. I’m assuming it came over from the zoo (I’m about a mile from there). I did call the humane society, but they were very calm about it and didn’t want to send someone out as I didn’t think the bird was sick or dying. It apparently flew away sometime during my morning shower, which is weird because I thought that most birds that size couldn’t really fly.
I’m still thinking about calling the zoo…
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/2 "2002-11-11T17:15:05Z")
Sounds like a vulture. They’ve been booming in the DC area lately, just like the Bald Eagles have.
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### Author:  [@Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xavier)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/3 "2002-11-11T17:32:00Z")
I have to say, it could probably be a vulture. Got any dead bodies floating around? Usually this is a giveaway…
By the way **JC** , you have the coolest name on-line. It sounds like a secret agent. Is it real (as in, your real name)?
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### Author:  [@Floater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Floater)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/4 "2002-11-11T17:34:36Z")
Sounds like a [turkey](http://www.ci.aurora.il.us/Phillips%20Park%20Zoo/images/turkey.jpg) to me.
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### Author:  [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/5 "2002-11-11T17:41:27Z")
Maybe a pheasant?
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### Author:  [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/6 "2002-11-11T18:19:16Z")
> [@](#):
>
> This thing was somewhat larger than a turkey or goose, had black feathers with very even white speckles, and had a thing along its beak and head that looked kind of like a rooster’s comb only much smaller.
Most assuredly not a pheasant. This is a ringneck pheasant and this is a Szechuan pheasant. Neither approaches the size of a goose or turkey. They’re about the size of a chicken.
_edited to fix second link - ub_
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/7 "2002-11-11T18:39:32Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Xavier \*
> \*\*I have to say, it could probably be a vulture. Got any dead bodies floating around? Usually this is a giveaway…
>
> By the way **JC** , you have the coolest name on-line. It sounds like a secret agent. Is it real (as in, your real name)? \*\*
Sadly, no. I’m handled after the character Tommy Shaw played in the Styx LP/play ‘Kilroy Was Here’. But thanks!
I’m still holding out for a turkey. Those son of a bitches get big around here.
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### Author:  [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/8 "2002-11-11T18:47:52Z")
I’ve checked out the pheasant aspect, and most of the pheasant pics seem to indicate some substantial feathers in the tail area, even on the females, so that doesn’t match.
I thought vultures had kind of knobbly heads, for lack of a better description. Maybe some vulture breeds don’t?
I’m also pretty sure it was not a turkey.
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### Author:  [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/9 "2002-11-11T19:02:19Z")
Hmmm, sounds sort of like a [guineafowl](http://www.krystiimelaine.com/guineafowl.jpg), except for the size.
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### Author:  [@Gazelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gazelle)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/10 "2002-11-11T19:18:51Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \*
> \*\*_edited to fix second link - ub_ \*\*
Can I tell you how unfair it is that you get to fix your typo-boo-boos, **UncleMod**? It’s very unfair. :wally
Well **booklover** , does the bird you saw look like any of the submissions?
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### Author:  [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)
#### Post date: [November 11, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/11 "2002-11-11T19:37:27Z")
After looking at vulture & turkey pictures, I have to say that the main difference is that this bird didn’t have a long snaky neck the way they do–it was much closer to the body, like a pheasant.
I have to say that the guineafowl looks the closest thus far–I looked some more pictures of various guineafowls and it looks quite a lot like the thing I saw. I don’t know about the siz discrepancy–maybe in my startled state, I perceived it as bigger than it actually was. Here’s a good picture of the guineafowl: [http://members.aol.com/CELESTmich/picscel/gfmly1.jpg](http://members.aol.com/CELESTmich/picscel/gfmly1.jpg)
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### Author:  [@dinahmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dinahmoe)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/12 "2002-11-12T01:22:21Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \*
> \*\*
>
> Sadly, no. I’m handled after the character Tommy Shaw played in the Styx LP/play ‘Kilroy Was Here’. But thanks!
>
> \*\*
I still have my program and shirt from that tour!!
On topic: I almost got decapitated by a wild turkey who decided to try to bounce across I-95 during a July rush hour. I drive a convertible.
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### Author:  [@Rosebud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosebud)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2002, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/13 "2002-11-12T02:39:37Z")
**dinahmoe** , I was walking my mom’s dog once a few years back and a couple of wild turkey did the turkey-bounce thing across the road in front of me. The dog took off after them so fast I didn’t even have time to try to rein her in-- first time in my life I was ever unintentionally airborne! Then of course the slack ran out of the leash, which I was still holding after I made friends with the frozen ground. Ow.
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### Author:  [@pipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pipper)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2002, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/14 "2002-11-12T14:46:35Z")
Based on the size and description, and especially the strutting and squawking at dawn part, I’d go with a wild turkey:
[http://www.erinnwtf.com/photogallery/wild\_turkey/wild\_turkey\_photo\_gallery.htm](http://www.erinnwtf.com/photogallery/wild_turkey/wild_turkey_photo_gallery.htm)
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### Author:  [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/15 "2002-11-12T15:09:10Z")
No, not a turkey. Wrong color, wrong neck, wrong tail. The web references I’ve dug up say that guinea fowl are actually used to watch farms in Africa because of the hideous noise they make when anyone gets near. I’m going with guinea fowl.
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### Author:  [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2002, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/16 "2002-11-12T16:25:29Z")
God, the suspense is killing me.
I need a definitive answer!
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### Author:  [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)
#### Post date: [November 12, 2002, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-strange-wildlife-experience/136285/17 "2002-11-12T18:03:37Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Jonathan Chance \*
> \*\*God, the suspense is killing me.
>
> I need a definitive answer! \*\*
I HOPE that was your brand of sarcasm!