There is a subtle art to catching a brush turkey.

First, there is the equipment — a roll of soft wire, a bag of wholemeal bread, and an old pillowcase tied with rope.

Then you have to find one, although that isn't so hard if you know where to look and you're ecologist Dr John Martin and PhD student Matthew Hall.

Walking through Artarmon Reserve in Sydney's north, the pair spot a telltale mound piled with leaves and soil.

"A male should be around somewhere," Mr Hall said as he set up the wire.

After spotting the bird among the tall grass, it only takes about a minute of baiting it with bread before Mr Hall pulls on the wire which knots around the turkey's leg.

There's a bit of a scurry and distressed flapping until the two scientists manage to get the turkey into the pillowcase and calm it down.

The turkeys forage in woodlands for food and gather leaf litter for their mounds. ( ABC Sydney: Amanda Hoh )

What are the turkeys doing?

Mr Hall started his postgraduate project at the University of Sydney last July in collaboration with Taronga Conservation Society and the Sydney's Royal Botanic Garden.

He heads into the bush about twice a week to catch turkeys or observe their behaviour and movements, tagging 60 brush turkeys across Sydney.

Each bird is assigned a number and has blood taken for DNA sampling; its wingspan, weight, head and beak length are measured and its sex is recorded.

"It will let us look at how healthy the birds are in different places, how they're growing in different areas, and how they structure their population," Mr Hall said.

"I'd like to see how the population is related; for example, are the birds near the harbour related to the ones out west?"

Each brush turkey is tagged so researchers can track their movements. ( ABC Sydney: Amanda Hoh )

Naming a turkey

Brush turkeys occur naturally in rainforests and woodlands where they forage for food and build mounds to incubate their eggs.

In the 1930s they nearly became extinct in Sydney.

Over the past few decades, however, they have returned to urban environments, much to the annoyance of residents who can find their yards in disarray thanks to visiting turkeys.

In an attempt to encourage "a bit of love" for the brush turkey, Mr Hall and Dr Martin have taken to naming the reported birds.

The birds have a high mortality rate due to predators like foxes and cats. ( ABC Sydney: Amanda Hoh )

Roaming about Artarmon is Arty, brush turkey number 60.

Elsewhere they've tagged Sweet Caroline, Lexi, Captain Phil, Lady Turk and Duchess Bella — the latter named after Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, who was in Sydney recently for the Invictus Games.

"It's just a bit of fun," Dr Martin said.

"I get people getting in touch saying, 'Hey, I saw Party Boy'.

"If that helps people maintain an interest, then that's helpful."

Brush turkey numbers declined in major cities and towns in the 1930s. ( ABC Sydney: Amanda Hoh )

Spot a brush turkey

Also part of the project is the Brush Turkey in Suburbia app and website, which launched in September so people could log sightings.

So far there has been 2,500 reports, with some of the most active contributors recording 40 to 50 sightings.

Most turkeys have been spotted in the North Shore and around Mosman, Cremorne and Artarmon, but there have been several first-time sightings in new locations.

"Bondi, right near the beach, which no-one expected," Mr Hall said.

"They've somehow crossed the harbour, which is quite difficult for a bird that doesn't fly very well.

"We're seeing situations like this all over the city, where the birds are in unusually high densities and I'm really interested in how they're doing it."

Dr Martin warned that the project had a permit to catch and tag wild brush turkeys, so people shouldn't try and do it themselves.