Turkey Vultures

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The Turkey Vulture is a large bird measuring 26 to 32 inches in length with a wing span of up to six feet. The feathers covering its body and lining the wings are mostly brownish-black, but the underside of its flight feathers are silver-gray. During the summer the wings may look ragged due to a gradual molting process. Its legs and feet are white and it has two long front toes.

Compared to the rest of its body, the Turkey Vulture's bald red head is disproportionately small. Its ivory-colored beak is short and hooked.

The immature Turkey Vulture has a black head rather than the trademark red. As the bird matures the black gradually gives way to red.

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The Turkey Vulture can be seen throughout North America. It prefers the open and semi-open areas such as deserts and shrub-lands, provided there are woods nearby for nesting sites. They tend to avoid heavily wooded areas but can be found in wetlands and grasslands throughout the country. Birds residing in the northern most part of the range will migrate south for the winter.

The breeding season starts in March and continues through June. The mating ritual includes a dance. Several Turkey Vultures form a circle and hop around the perimeter with their wings partially spread. In flight one will closely follow another while flapping and diving to draw its attention.

The female lays the eggs in a protected site such as a cliff ledge or rocky crevice. Sometimes a cave, a hollowed out tree or thicket is used. There's little or no nest building. The female usually lays the spotted cream colored eggs on the bare surface. The clutch usually consists of 1 to 3 eggs and is incubated for 30 to 40 days by both parents. The chicks are helpless at birth and are fed by regurgitation. The chicks fledge at 10 to 11 weeks and the family stays together throughout the summer.

The Turkey Vulture is a scavenger. They feed exclusively on carrion. Their eyesight is keen, but they use their sense of smell to locate a carcass. A carcass left in the open for a day or two is more likely to catch their attention than a fresh kill.

The Turkey Vulture soars rather than flapping its wings. In flight their wings are lifted upward to form a shallow V. They climb on the updrafts and use thermal convection for long flights.

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1. The Turkey Vulture is largely silent due to the fact that it does not have a syrinx, a vocal organ. It can grunt and hiss and that's about it.

2. It is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.

3. They can live to be 50 years of age.

4. Seen soaring at a distance, they are often mistaken for an Eagle.

5. Turkey Vultures are gregarious and will join communal roosts.

6. It lowers its body temperature at night to conserve energy.

7. It is awkward on the ground. Rather than walk or run, it hops.

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