STATISTICS and
NATURAL HISTORY
Appearance:
The Turkey Vulture's head, like its namesake, is bald and red. Its plumage is primarily dark brown (see photo to right).
In flight, the undersides of the flight feathers appear silver or white (see photo to right).
Genders appear identical.
The Vulture's Bald Head:
There is an important purpose to the vulture's bald head. When the vulture is eating carrion, it must often stick its head inside the carcass to reach the meat. A feathery head would capture unwanted pieces of the vulture's meal, along with all the bacteria it hosts. After mealtime, the turkey vulture perches in the heat of the sun. Here, whatever has managed to cling to the few bits of fuzz on their head will be baked off once and for all.
Size:
25 to 32 inches long, with a wingspan around 6 feet.
Healthy adult Turkey Vultures weigh approximately 6 pounds.
Voice:
Turkey vultures, like most other vultures, have very few vocalization capabilities. They can only utter hisses and grunts. They usually hiss when they feel threatened. Grunts are commonly heard from hungry young, and adults in courtship
Diet/Feeding:
The Turkey Vulture, contrary to popular belief, does not feed strictly on carrion. This bird enjoys plant matter as well, including shoreline vegetation, pumpkin, and bits of other crops. The Turkey Vulture soars above the ground for most of the day, searching for food with its excellent eyesight and highly developed sense of smell.
Extremely unagressive and non-confrontational, the Turkey vulture will not feed on live prey, an occasional habit of its cousin the black vulture.
Turkey Vultures can often be seen along roadsides, cleaning up roadkill, or near rivers, feasting on washed-up fish, another of their favorite foods.
Flight
Turkey Vultures fly with their wings in a dihedral (V-shape). They are most graceful in flight, and can soar for hours at high altitudes without ever flapping their wings. Their occasional necessary flaps and takeoffs are quite laborious, however, and the birds often fall victim to predators and cars as a result.
How the Turkey Vulture Flies:
The turkey vulture is one of the most skilled gliders among the North American birds. It migrates across the continents with minimal energy output. Vultures launch themselves from their perches only after the morning air has warmed. Then, they circle upward, searching for pockets of rising warm air, or thermals. Once they have secured a thermal, they allow it to carry them upward in rising circles. When they reach the top of the thermal, they dive across the sky at speeds near 60 miles per hour, losing altitude until they reach another thermal. All this is done without the necessity to flap. In fact, the turkey vulture can glide for over 6 hours at a time without flapping a wing!
Range/Habitat:
By far the most widespread of the New World vultures, the Turkey Vulture can be found throughout the entire United States, north into Canada along the east and west coasts, and south into central South America.
These birds prefer open areas, but can be found almost anywhere. They live along coastlines; in deserts; throughout plains; and even in inland forests.
Behavior:
The Turkey Vulture is gentle and non-aggressive. Turkey Vultures roost in large community groups, breaking away to forage independently during the day. These unique birds have a variety of interesting habits:
The Horaltic Pose
Turkey Vultures are often seen standing in a spread-winged stance. This is called the "horaltic pose." The stance is believed to serve multiple functions: Drying the wings, Warming the body, and Baking off bacteria.
Why the Turkey Vulture Vomits
The turkey vulture has few natural predators. Its primary form of defense is vomiting. The birds do not "projectile vomit," as many would claim. They simply cough up a lump of semi-digested meat. This foul smelling substance deters most creatures intent on raiding a vulture nest. It will also sting if the offending animal is close enough to get the vomit in its face or eyes.
In some cases, the vulture must rid its crop of a heavy, undigested meal in order to lift off and flee from a potential predator. In this case, the regurgitated material has not yet been digested. Most predators will give up pursuit of the vulture in favor of this free edible offering.
Why the Turkey Vulture Urinates on its Legs
The turkey vulture often directs its urine right onto its legs. This serves two very important purposes. In the summertime, wetting the legs cools the vulture, as the urine evaporates. (The vulture cannot sweat like us). In addition, this urine contains strong acids from the vulture's digestive system, which kill any bacteria that may remain on the bird's legs from stepping in its meal.
Breeding/Life Cycle:
Turkey Vulture Nests:
The turkey vulture nests on the ground and in caves. It does not construct a traditional "nest," but rather scratches out an indentation in the soil. Vulture nests are often found in abandoned barns and sheds, which provide safe hiding places similar to a cave of hollowed log.
Breeding:
Turkey vultures can raise only one brood a year, consisting of 1 to 3 (but usually 2) blotchy-looking eggs. Both parents share the responsibilities of incubating and caring for the brood.
Young are covered in pure white down, and have dark grey faces.
Incubation:
The eggs incubate for 38 to 41 days. Both parents share the reponsibilities of incubation.
Life Cycle
Young fledge 70 to 80 days after hatching. Immature fledgelings still have darker heads, and can be confused with the black vulture, from a distance.
Status:
Folklore, Misc. Information:
The Turkey Vulture's Name:
Turkey vultures were given their name because their featherless red head gives them the appearance of a turkey.
A Turkey Vulture in many languages:
Latin: Cathartes aura
Cherokee: Suli
Spanish: Buitre de la cara roja
Spanish (Mexico): el Zopilote
Belize: John Crow
OTHER
FASCINATING FACTS
The Turkey Vultures Sense of Smell:
The turkey vulture is one of the only birds in North America with a sense of smell. This vulture relies both on its keen eyesight and powerful nose to search out food.
Circling Vultures:
Contrary to popular belief, circling vultures do not necessarily indicate the presence of a dead animal. Circling vultures may be gaining altitude for long flights, searching for food, or playing.
These birds soar on thermals of warm, rising air. This allows them to best conserve their energy in flight. After rising on the thermal, they glide as far as possible before they need to gain altitude again. They also rely on thermals of warm air to remain aloft while scanning the ground for food.
You will certainly see vultures in the air over a carcass, but in the case of small carcasses, the descent is rapid. As for larger carcasses, while remaining on the lookout for food, vultures are equally attuned to their fellow vultures. They note when others' behavior indicates the discovery of a food source, and will flock to the area. Often, the entire group will remain aloft until sufficient birds have arrived to dispose of the carcass in a timely fashion.
Please note, however, that American vultures are not known to circle a dying animal.
WHAT IS A VULTURE?
Vultures are large, carrion-eating birds. For years, it was believed that all vultures were raptors, members of the order Falconiformes. In 1994, however, it was discovered that the vultures inhabiting the American continents share a common ancestor with storks and ibises. Now, American vultures, or New World vultures, are recognized as Ciconiiformes, in the family Cathartidae. European, African, and Asian vultures are recognized as Old World vultures (family Accipitridae, subfamily Aegypiinae). There are 15 species of Old World Vultures and 7 Species of New World Vultures.
Weird! How do you explain this?
Until recently, biologists based the classification of vultures on empirical characteristics. For example, all vultures have a unique diet (carrion). As an adaptation for this messy diet, the head and neck of vultures from both families are mostly bare except for a thin covering of down.
In addition to DNA evidence, which is the primary defender of this new classification, there are a number of recognizable differences as well.
For example, the Old World vultures have relatively strong feet, like the clutching talons of their raptorial ancestors. New World vultures have weak, chickenlike feet, which are suitable for running on the ground. These vultures cannot lift or carry food with their feet. They can only step on their food to hold it in place while eating. Similarly, the New World vultures have weaker, thinner beaks, unlike the strong beaks of their Old World counterparts.
WHAT IS A BUZZARD?
Buzzard is the correct term for a family of hawks. (ie the European buzzard, Buteo buteo, closely related to the American red tailed hawk). In America, the term is often employed incorrectly to describe vultures. This probably dates back to the arrival of the first English colonists. There are no vultures of any type in England, so these pioneers probably gave the common term "buzzard" to all the soaring figures above the New World.
NEW WORLD VULTURES
The New World vultures are distributed in North, Central, and South America. They include the Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura; Black Vulture, Coragyps atratus; California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus; Andean Condor, Vultur gryphus; King Vulture; and the Greater and Lesser Yellow-Headed Vultures.
The Turkey Vulture is common in the United States. Its keen sense of smell is vital for finding carrion. Black Vultures, a more southern species, lack the graceful flight pattern of the Turkey Vulture and depend more on keen eyesight than sense of smell. The California Condor, along with the Andean Condor, is one of the world's largest flying birds. Because of many years of persecution, the California Condor is in danger of extinction; an estimated 40 to 60 birds exist today.
OLD WORLD VULTURES
Old World vultures inhabit the warmer parts of Europe, all of Africa, and the drier parts of Asia. They are most common in mountainous or open country and are seldom found in forests or in areas with high rainfall. All are carrion eaters except for the Palm Nut Vulture, Gyphohierax angolensis, which feeds principally on the fruit of the oil palm. The Egyptian Vulture, Neophron percnopterus, may be the most common vulture in the Old World. It eats carrion, eggs, or insects, and often scavenges in settlements.
