The app, Brush Turkeys: birds in suburbia, has been launched by the University of Sydney as part of a research project with Taronga Conservation Society and the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney.

It allows users to report their sightings of brush turkeys and provide information about their behaviour.

"People can add details such as where the turkeys are foraging, and the foods they are eating, where they are building their mounds, and whether there are chicks present,” said Dr Alicia Burns, a behavioural biologist at Taronga Conservation Society.

“This is information that we may not be able to get out and find ourselves.”

Brush turkeys gained legal protection in the 1970s and, since then, have taken to reclaiming not only the bush but the cities – which are dangerous playgrounds for independent turkey chicks.

In the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of urban turkeys colonising south-east Queensland and northern NSW.

While precise numbers are not known, scientists hope Queenslanders will embrace the app and help researchers better understand how the birds have adapted to urban areas.

"The aim is to get people to appreciate the environment around them and also to highlight just how lucky we are to have all these amazing native species still living in urban environments," Dr Burns said.

"The app is also teaching people data collection skills and getting them to participate in efforts to protect these species.

“This data is really valuable for our broader ecology work and conservation."