Urban Creatures –Turkey Vulture

 

Awake before dawn, I’m on the trail at first light. 

Mountain lion, coyote, and skunk have given way to the day shift.  I follow a winding dirt path as it enters a stand of mixed oak forest.  My mind wanders as I hike.  Part of my brain is still home in bed under the warm covers. 

The sweet smell of California Bay Laurel snaps me out of my reverie.  The scent is reputed to stimulate energy, and it has always had that effect on me.

Despite the sun, the morning is chilly.  And as I gaze with my newly inspired awareness, I notice a large shape warming itself on the ruins of an old fence.  From the cover of the trees I snap a few pictures.

 

 

 

It’s a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura).  And I’ve never seen one sunbathe like this.  It reminds me of a Cormorant waiting for its wings to dry before it can fly again.

Turkey Vultures are often seen standing in this “horaltic pose.”  It’s not clear why they do it.  Explanations include warming the body, drying the nighttime dew from their feathers, realigning their flight feathers, or baking off harmful bacteria.

I hike on and surprise another bird sunning itself on a snag.  The trail I’m hiking is new, and it seems surprised to see a human in the area.  Could this be a nest?

 

 

 

 

Turkey Vultures are large birds.  They can be as long as 32 inches and have a wingspan of almost six feet across.  And they can weigh as much as four pounds.

Most of the time we see them soaring high overhead.  But when viewed up close, their bald red head is startling.  Their scientific name “Cathartes”, meaning “cleanser” or “purifier.”  And that’s what they do.  By consuming carcasses, they save us from wading through piles of dead animal corpses every time we go for a stroll.  The featherless head and neck permit the Turkey Vulture to reach deep inside a decaying carcass to feed without fouling its feathers.

I continue my hike and make a discovery several hours later.  At the edge of my vision, I see what appears to be a deer carcass lying on a grassy slope.  Using my binoculars I examine the body.  It appears to be fresh.

 

 

As I watch, a cluster of familiar forms appear. 

 

 

 

Although many Turkey Vultures may appear at a carcass, typically one feeds at a time.  It chases the others away until it’s done.  The other birds remain close by as they await their turn.

But this corpse presents a problem.  I am too far away to see how it died.  But there doesn’t appear to be a wound.  So the birds have no way in to the carcass.  They just hover around like angry patrons at the world’s slowest Burger King.

 

 

Then, with some unspoken command, the birds disperse.  There is no meal here.  But several remain, waiting for another scavenger to open the carcass for them.

 

 

Turkey Vulture Facts

Turkey Vultures are so common in the United States that we don’t often spare them a thought.  But they’re amazing animals.

Turkey Vultures are more closely related to storks than to hawks.  They locate their food using their excellent sense of smell.  This is unusual in birds.  Most other vultures use their keen sight to spot prey from above.

The vultures feed on mammals, reptiles, other birds, amphibians, and fish.  They prefer freshly dead meat.  But are unable to open the carcasses themselves unless the body is soft.

Their food supply is unpredictable.  So Turkey Vultures can ingest large quantities of meat rapidly, and then go for many days without feeding.

Turkey Vultures don’t build nests. They scrape out a spot in hollow trees, caves, and sometimes on the ground.  They lay between one and three eggs.

During hot weather, Turkey Vultures are known to squirt liquid excrement onto their legs and feet.  This is called urohydrosis (I call it disgusting!).  It’s thought that it has a cooling effect that helps the birds thermoregulate.

When threatened, turkey vultures hiss.  And if that doesn’t work, they can projectile-vomit at the animal bothering them.  A warning to you:  They can be accurate out to 10 feet.

Turkey Vultures live up to 20 years.  And they are well habituated to human activity. 

 

Turkey Vulture Identification

You’ve probably seen their hunched forms sitting on trees, telephone poles, or antenna towers.

 

 

But they are easiest to spot in flight.  They soar with long, broad wings.  They rarely flap, and are much bigger than red-tailed hawks.  Only eagles and condors are larger.

They have long “fingers” at their wingtips and long tails that extend past their toe tips in flight.   Their wings have a two-tone silver/black look when seen from underneath.  When soaring, Turkey Vultures hold their wings raised in a pronounced ‘V’ when seen head-on.  This pronounced dihedral makes them easy to distinguish from hawks.

Turkey Vultures have an unsteady flight, almost teetering as they search for thermals.  They may soar in groups and with other species in “kettles.”  A kettle is a term that birders use to describe a group of birds wheeling and circling in the air.  The vultures spiral up like water boiling in a pot.

 

 

 

 

What have you noticed about your local Turkey Vultures?  Leave a comment below.

 

References

The Sibley link is an affiliate link.

California Nature Mapping Program

The Cornell Lab – All About Birds

Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior

 

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