Cathartes aura
Courtesy of Birdsall Nature Photography, birdsphoto.com
The Turkey Vulture is one
of our largest birds. It grows as big as an eagle; up to 32
inches long, with a six-foot wingspan. Turkey Vultures are black
with a bare reddish head. They have a yellow bill and yellow
feet. The flight feathers of this bird are silvery-colored,
and you can see them from below when they are
soaring. Turkey Vultures are found
in forests, fields, roadsides, farmland, and
dumps. Copyright, Freeman F.
& Mary Daniels Brown The Turkey Vulture
Society Copyright, Peter
LaTourrette, http://birdphotography.com Considering what they
eat, these are some of the cleanest animals around. Having
few feathers on their heads means they can wash them easily,
and Turkey Vultures often bathe in water. They constantly
preen (cleans out its feathers with its bill). Turkey Vultures eat a
great deal of carrion, the more rotten the better. Some
common carrion consumed by vultures includes: shrews, moles,
squirrels, woodchuck, mice, rabbit, birds, reptiles,
insects, muskrat, opossum, raccoon, skunk, and fox. They
also eat a great deal of plant matter, such as leaves,
grass, and seeds. Falcons, Hawks, and
Eagles of Northern Arizona
Glanbrook Conservation Committee
Copyright, Michael K.
Moore Turkey Vultures have a
terrific digestive system, which kills any bacteria or
disease from the carrion they eat. Their droppings (poop)
and pellets (thrown up bones and fur) are disease-free.
Vultures are very important to the environment, because they
clean up dead animals and make it so diseases are not
spread. Turkey Vultures nest in
rock crevices, hollow trees, caves, fallen hollow logs, or
ledges. They don't build nests; they just lay their eggs on
the ground. These birds lay two whitish eggs with dark brown
markings. Young vultures are able to leave the nest about 10
weeks after hatching. Turkey Vultures are
usually seen soaring high up in the sky. They can soar for
hours at a time, searching for food. They are able to fly
with very few wing beats because they ride on thermals.
Thermals are batches of warm air that rise up. Vultures have excellent
sight and hearing, but are best known for their tremendous
sense of smell. Bill Kohbnoos, The Turkey
Vulture Society Gene Butler, The Turkey
Vulture Society Because they have small
claws, Turkey Vultures rarely kill their own prey. They
occasionally kill weak or young animals. At night, Turkey Vultures
gather in large roosts. They like to roost in tall trees, or
sometimes on towers. Vultures usually return to the same
roost every night. In fact, each vulture usually roosts on
the same branch each time! Some vultures will occasionally
wander off to visit another roost, but they always come
back. Certain Turkey Vulture roosts are known to be over 100
years old, meaning young vultures stay at the roosts their
parents and grandparents were from.
Mark Moran
DSpier.jpg)