A turkey-shaped hole in the window of the Moores' family room marks the path of an over-amorous bird. (Submitted photo)

Laughter was what Gerry Moore heard on the other end of the phone line when he asked the insurance adjuster whether his policy would cover what had just happened.

Apparently the adviser hadn't heard many requests for coverage of damage caused by an amorous wild turkey running amok through a family room.

"I think we're breaking new ground for our insurance policies because they're not quite sure what to think," said his wife Linda Moore. "There's no clause in there for poultry flying through windows."

The Moores had been entertaining relatives from Perth and Toronto in their family room for Easter at about 10 a.m. on Saturday when they received a phone call from a neighbour about a wild female turkey pecking her way through the backyard.

Hoping to catch a glimpse of the animal up close, the entire group filed into the kitchen to take a peek.

"We live in a subdivision in Richmond that's an older subdivision with big lots," said Linda. "You see them when you're out in the country in the fields, but we've never seen them here."

Their wish for an up close and personal run-in with wildlife was granted, however, not by the preening female, but by a lusty male who smashed through a large window pane and landed in the room they had just vacated.

VYING FOR ATTENTION

Neighbours speculated that the 25 lb. bird was vying for the lady turkey's attention and confused his reflection with that of a male competitor and took flight.

"We've had a lot of laughs about it in the last day," Linda said. "But when we think about it, if we'd have been in there it wouldn't have been very good with the pieces of glass that flew out of the window."

The brazen bird flew around the room, hid behind a chair, flapped its wings a couple times, and then came to rest on a recliner.

Neighbours came to the rescue, one armed with a giant salmon net, and they worked with the Moores to corral the posturing poultry.

It took about 20 minutes to capture the wild turkey, which was released into the backyard where he waddled off, seemingly unhurt, said Linda.

The family was left to clean up a mess of glass and feathers and neighbours jokingly pasted a bullseye across the broken window and positioned a decoy turkey on the front lawn.

"We had ham on Friday," said Linda. "I have no intention of cooking a turkey this weekend."

LAURA.CZEKAJ@SUNMEDIA.CA