When it comes to talking turkey — brush turkeys to be specific — Australians are often divided.

Key points: A rare albino juvenile brush turkey has been sighted at Noosa in Queensland

A rare albino juvenile brush turkey has been sighted at Noosa in Queensland The sighting was reported as part of a citizen science project, launched to help map the continued urban expansion of brush turkeys in NSW and Queensland

The sighting was reported as part of a citizen science project, launched to help map the continued urban expansion of brush turkeys in NSW and Queensland In recent years, brush turkeys have moved into new parts of eastern and western Sydney, already common in the north shore area

Some love having the large native birds close to their homes while others would like to get rid of the digging backyard invaders.

Over the past decade brush turkeys, once hunted to near extinction, have made a resurgence, steadily moving into built-up areas in Queensland and New South Wales

They are a familiar presence in the popular tourist town of Noosa, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, scratching their way around parks, paths and gardens

What is not familiar, though, is the sight of a pure white brush turkey.

The juvenile bird was seen recently by Matthew Denby, who reported it to a citizen science project recording brush turkey sightings through an app or website.

Dr John Martin, Terrestrial Ecologist at Taronga Conservation Society Australia, said it was an amazing find.

"A beautiful white brush turkey has been seen, quite unbelievably. It's extremely unusual and looks to be an albino," he said.

"There have been previous sightings at Noosa, so it seems the genes are strong in that part of Australia."

Dr Martin said from the time brush turkey chicks hatch out of large incubator-like nest mounds of soil and leaf litter, they were left to fend for themselves and the death rate was extremely high.

After hatching, brush turkey chicks are left to fend for themselves, with no parental care. ( Supplied: Kylie Randall )

He said it made the white Noosa bird's survival even more surprising.

"Brush turkeys provide no parental care to their young, a rare behaviour in the bird world," he said.

"This means that this white little fluff-ball has had to fend for itself without the beneficial camouflage of brown plumage which would blend in with soil, leaf litter and vegetation.

This rare white brush turkey has had to fend for itself without the benefit of camouflage. ( Supplied: Matthew Denby )

"Brush turkeys grow quickly and this white bird has transformed into a miniature version of an adult over the past few months."

Whether you fall into the brush turkey love-or-hate camp, there is no denying they are an increasing presence in regional and urban areas in NSW and Queensland.

An app has been launched to encourage the public to record brush turkey observations so researchers can better map and track growing urban populations.

This data is contributing to a collaborative research project run by the University of Sydney, Taronga Conservation Society and the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

"It's a challenging situation to understand how they have adapted so quickly to urban areas... they will eat essentially anything, and they are very tolerant of disturbance," Dr Martin said.

"They are not so concerned about roads and cars and are willing to approach people, and are learning about new food sources, such as rubbish or scavenging from people.

Many people either love or hate brush turkeys, which often dig in backyard gardens. ( Supplied: Dani Katz )

"We are seeing trends in major urban areas like Brisbane and Sydney, and smaller regional centres, where brush turkeys are adapting and moving into these centres…there has been a dramatic change over recent decades, which is quite fast.

"So, having the brush turkeys app and website has dramatically increased the amount of data we are collecting and filling in a lot of the gaps about which habitats they are using."

Dr Martin said the growth in brush turkeys was often causing human-wildlife conflict.

"The brush turkey definitely falls in the love-hate spectrum. People, when they've got a garden and the birds come in and take over, that is a big issue.

Brush turkeys are booming in parts of NSW and Queensland, including urban areas. This one was spotted in the D'Aguilar National Park, Queensland. ( Supplied: Joshua Prieto )

"But equally, they are a unique part of the landscape and they traditionally occurred in areas like the Sydney region and other urban areas where they had not been seen for decades, so it is actually a positive story about them returning to live with us."

Matthew Hall is a PhD student at The University of Sydney, researching how brush turkeys are adapting to living side by side with humans in urban areas.

"I find it fascinating how they are surviving in environments that humans have dominated and changed," he said.

"They can really adapt to new food sources and disturbances and build their incredible nests in new environments."

Mr Hall's research is focussing on Sydney where he said brush turkeys were steadily expanding into new areas.

Researchers hope to determine how brush turkeys have adapted so well to urban environments. ( Supplied: Taronga Conservation Society )

"In the north shore of Sydney over the last 10 years they have completely spread through the whole area," he said.

"Just in the last couple of years they have also been sighted in Sydney's eastern suburbs and into western Sydney as well.

"In western Sydney, as far as Mt Druitt and Blacktown they have only been seen in the last couple of years and down south nearly as far as Sydney airport, again only in the last year.

"Birds, nest mounds and a range of behaviours can be easily reported using the Brushturkeys app.

"We are particularly interested to receive reports of chicks, and young birds like this white turkey, as breeding activity is coming to an end for the season."