The Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is a widespread and fascinating bird of prey, recognizable by its soaring flight and distinctive scavenging habits. These birds play a crucial ecological role, helping to clean up the environment by consuming carrion. This guide delves into the various aspects of the Turkey Vulture’s life, from where they live and what they eat to how they raise their young and their conservation status.
Habitat
Turkey Vultures thrive in a variety of open environments across the Americas. They are commonly observed cruising over mixed farmlands, forests, and rangelands. Their presence is particularly noticeable along roadsides, where they may scavenge from roadkill, and at landfills, which offer a readily available food source. During the night, Turkey Vultures seek secluded spots to roost, typically on trees, rocks, or other elevated perches that offer safety from predators.
Open Woodlands
Diet
The primary food source for Turkey Vultures is carrion, the carcasses of dead animals. They possess an exceptional sense of smell, which is their main tool for locating food. While their diet largely consists of mammals, they are opportunistic feeders and will also consume reptiles, other birds, amphibians, fish, and even invertebrates. Turkey Vultures prefer freshly deceased animals but will often wait for a carcass to soften, making it easier to pierce the tough skin. They are adept at identifying the most palatable parts of a carcass first, sometimes even avoiding the scent glands of skunks. Remarkably, these birds have robust immune systems that protect them from diseases like botulism, anthrax, cholera, and salmonella, which are often present in decaying flesh. Unlike their relatives, Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures rarely, if ever, attack living prey.
Carrion
Nesting
Nest Placement
Turkey Vultures exhibit flexibility in their choice of nesting sites. They commonly select locations such as rock crevices, caves, ledges, dense thickets, abandoned mammal burrows, hollow logs, fallen trees, and even old hawk or heron nests, as well as abandoned human structures. These chosen sites are typically significantly cooler than the surrounding areas, often by 13°F or more, and are situated in isolated spots, away from human activity or disturbance. While Turkey Vultures may forage in areas frequented by humans, they strongly prefer to nest in remote and undisturbed locations.
Nest Description
Unlike many bird species, Turkey Vultures do not construct elaborate nests. Instead, they prepare a simple scrape on the ground, often clearing away debris or arranging a few bits of vegetation or rotting wood. Many of these nesting sites are reused year after year, sometimes for over a decade.
Nesting Facts
| Clutch Size: | 1-3 eggs |
|---|---|
| Number of Broods: | 1 brood |
| Egg Length: | 2.6-3.0 in (6.5-7.5 cm) |
| Egg Width: | 1.7-2.1 in (4.4-5.3 cm) |
| Incubation Period: | 28-40 days |
| Nestling Period: | 60-84 days |
| Egg Description: | Creamy white tinged with gray, blue, or green, and spotted with purple to brown. |
| Condition at Hatching: | Downy, often blind, and defenseless beyond a quiet hiss. |
Behavior
The Turkey Vulture’s characteristic slow, teetering flight is an adaptation that allows them to soar at lower altitudes, where their keen sense of smell is most effective for detecting carrion. At other times, they ascend on thermals, often gathering in large groups known as kettles. On the ground, their movement is somewhat ungainly, with awkward hops, making them less agile than Black Vultures. In the mornings, it’s common to see Turkey Vultures standing erect with their wings spread, a behavior presumed to help them warm up, cool down, or dry their feathers. Outside of the breeding season, they congregate in roosts that can number from dozens to hundreds of individuals. Courtship involves a “follow flight” display, where one bird leads the other in a series of twisting, turning, and flapping maneuvers for extended periods. Migrating flocks can be immense, sometimes numbering in the thousands. At a food source, while several Turkey Vultures may gather, typically only one will feed at a time, often chasing others away until it has finished. Despite their size, they are frequently displaced by smaller birds like Black Vultures, Crested Caracaras, and Zone-tailed Hawks.
Soaring (raptor)
Conservation
Turkey Vultures are a species of low conservation concern, with their populations having increased across North America. According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, their numbers grew by approximately 1.8% annually between 1966 and 2019. Global population estimates suggest around 28 million individuals. Historically, they faced threats from the pesticide DDT, but their populations have recovered. A significant concern for Turkey Vultures, similar to California Condors, is lead poisoning. This occurs when they ingest lead shot present in carcasses or gut piles left by hunters. Additionally, some are trapped or killed due to unfounded fears that they spread disease. In reality, vultures play a vital role in public health by consuming decaying matter, thus reducing the spread of pathogens.
Low Concern
Credits
Kirk, David A. and Michael J. Mossman. (1998). Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewald, editor). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York, USA.
Lutmerding, J. A. and A. S. Love. (2020). Longevity records of North American birds. Version 2020. Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Bird Banding Laboratory 2020.
Partners in Flight. (2020). Avian Conservation Assessment Database, version 2020.
Sauer, J. R., D. K. Niven, J. E. Hines, D. J. Ziolkowski Jr., K. L. Pardieck, J. E. Fallon, and W. A. Link (2019). The North American Breeding Bird Survey, Results and Analysis 1966–2019. Version 2.07.2019. USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, MD, USA.
Sibley, D. A. (2014). The Sibley Guide to Birds, second edition. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, NY, USA.
