Female turkey called Kevin that has been stalking Taradale 'liberated' by animal control

Taradale residents keep spotting a lone turkey foraging in gardens and casually crossing roads. Photo / Supplied

A lone turkey that has been stalking the streets of Taradale has been liberated to a semi-rural property to forage around with two fellow poultry.

There had been several sightings of the bird, known as Kevin, this week roaming the streets of the Napier suburb.

Residents kept spotting the bird, who is actually a female, gobbling and relaxing in their gardens.

Taradale local Claire Connor said she found the turkey cruising about in her garden on Friday morning.

"It's not every morning you're woken by a noise which can only be described as 'gobble gobble-de-gook'," she said, "to find it's not your teenager pulling a prank with a new alarm ring on his phone, but a turkey on the loose."

By the time Connor got up to investigate, Kevin had left the property and was wandering around another.

Upon returning from taking her son to work, Connor saw the town turkey again - crossing Murphy Rd "without a care in the world".

"Clearly it missed the Christmas dinner table," she said.

A Napier City Council Animal Control spokesman said they were asked to pick up the turkey, which had been living at a Taradale address for the last three months, and transport it somewhere else.

"We have liberated her at a semi-rural property, where she is now happily roaming with two other turkeys that moved there last year," he said.