‘It’s Huge!’ How To Spot The Famous Fishkill Turkey

Normally when we talk turkey, it is the month of November and we're asking for tips and tricks to make our Thanksgiving menus better than the year before...but not these days. People all over the Hudson Valley are gobbling over a local community member who has quickly become the talk of the town.

Meet Fishkill's most famous resident, Tammy or Tom turkey...the verdict is still out on the official classification.

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'It's Huge!' Infamous Turkey Now Talk Of This Town

You would have thought my dad spotted his favorite celebrity or athlete with the excitement in his voice.

Val, you'll never believe who I saw when I was going to ShopRite today...the frekin turkey! It's huge!

For the past several weeks, a turkey has been the hot-topic of conversation around Fishkill. People are investing a great deal of time and energy into following this thing's whereabouts, wondering where it lives, why it is hanging out in this area of Fishkill, and if it will be ok in the busy intersection of Rt 9. and Rt. 52 where it seems to be spending a lot of time.

This turkey has become so popular that some are referring to it as the official mascot, others as the local crossing guard, and to some, 'the legend.' One local resident, Heather L. who shared the photo above, posted about the following encounter in the official facebook page dedicated to the turkey:

It’s kind of become a mascot for the general area. My favorite sighting was the night of a snowstorm and it was running up and down Main Street causing chaos with the traffic. One of the town police was trying to herd it off the road with lights and sirens with no success, lol

The Famous Fishkill Turkey, Est. 2025

You know things are legit when you see social media page dedicated to it, so needless to say things are getting pretty serious for this Fishkill turkey. Though we cannot confirm if the name is Tom or Tammy, hundreds of turkey-loving community members have joined the official group, 'The Famous Fishkill Turkey' in the 24-hours since the site was launched (Wednesday 4/9 created, 344 members as of Thursday 4/10 at 5:30pm).

Members have been sharing sightings, stories, and especially photos, like the one below captured by Jill Bose Classey, showcasing Scott from The Tomato Cafe with the infamous 'Fishkill turkey.'

While much of the recent discussion about the turkey has been positive, there is contention about the bird's gender, with a current poll in the official group narrowly leaning 'male' with 52% of the votes. Some people have weighed in that they believe there is more than one bird since it has looked different in appearance.

With all eyes on Tammy/Tommy, there's a great deal of concern about safety in this highly populated/traveled area. While some community members have shared that they spoke to bird rehab facilities to get the turkey help, others have called local law enforcement to see what can be done. It seems like the consensus is to let the town's new mascot continue to hang in the area, as they tend to be very smart animals and know how to navigate the roads safely.

If you happen to have photos of this Hudson Valley icon in the wild, please be sure to share them with us, in the meantime, it seems like in and around the intersection of Rt. 9 and Rt. 52 is where you're likely to bump into Tommy/Tammy living their best Fishkill life.