Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura
Range: Summer range is throughout contiguous
United States as well as southern Canada. In the winter
months, northern Turkey Vultures will migrate to the
southern part of the United States, Central America,
and South America which is also year-round range for
some Turkey Vultures.

Habitat: Turkey Vultures are well adapted to different

areas including coastal deserts, grassland, savanna, farm fields, suburbs, temperate forests, and
even dense tropical rainforest.

Diet: Turkey Vultures are scavengers and feed almost exclusively on carrion, but will also
occasionally feed on plant matter such as pumpkins. Turkey vultures will feed on carrion the size of
small mammals to large grazers. They prefer animals that are recently dead and avoid those that
have reached the point of putrefaction (one of the final stages of decomposition).

Lifespan: Turkey Vultures have a captive life span of over 30 years, and about 17 years in the wild.

Description: Turkey Vultures are a large soaring bird with brownish black feathers on the upper side
and body with silverfish-gray feathers on the underside of their primary and secondary feathers.
Adults have a bright pinkish-red featherless head with a white beak. Their wingspan reaches between
5.5-6 feet in length.

Breeding: The mating ritual of Turkey Vultures begins on the ground with several individuals
hopping round in a circle with their wings partially spread. In flight, a bird might closely follow a
potential mate while continuing a ritual of flapping and diving. Mated pairs last throughout the
breeding season and often all year long.

Breeding takes place between March and June in North America. Nest sites are usually found in
sheltered areas such as hollow trees or logs, crevices in cliffs, or in old buildings. They rarely build
any kind of nest and their eggs are laid on debris or the flat bottom of the nest site. They lay 1-3
eggs and are incubated for 30-40 days. After the eggs hatch, they fledge at about 70-80 days and
are independent about a week later.

Behavior/Adaptations: Turkey vultures are often seen kettling, or circling, in the sky above riding
on heat thermals to conserve energy. They hold their wings in a dihedral (shallow “V” shape) when
soaring that is easily distinguished from the bald eagle who hold their wings flat when soaring.

Unlike most birds, they have a highly developed sense of smell which they use to locate carrion –
even under the cover of vegetation. Because of their diet, they have a high tolerance for microbial
toxins and plays an important ecological role in disposing of carcasses that could otherwise breed
disease.

Predators: Humans, young are sometimes preyed upon by raccoons and owls.

Conservation: They are considered a species of least concern due to their stable population and are
even expanding their range in some places.
Interesting Facts:
 Will regurgitate its food as a defense mechanism to ward off potential threats.
 Will defecate on their legs to cool themselves down, called urohidrosis.
 Ethyl mercaptan is the gas produced be decaying animals that turkey vultures pick up on.
 The word vulture likely comes from the Latin “vellere”, which means to pluck or tear. Its
scientific name, Cathartes aura, means either golden purifier or purifying breeze.

Information taken from the following sources:

http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Cathartes_aura/
http://www.arkive.org/turkey-vulture/cathartes-aura/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_vulture#Diet
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/lifehistory