Turkey buzzard, Buzzard, John crow, Carrion crow
The Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) is the most widespread of the New World vultures. Like all New World vultures, it is not closely related to the Old World vultures of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Turkey vulture has very few natural predators and in the United States, it receives legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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ScavengerScavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While sc...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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NomadicNomadic animals regularly move to and from the same areas within a well-defined range. Most animals travel in groups in search of better territorie...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Partial MigrantPartial migration is when within a migratory species or even within a single population, some individuals migrate while others do not.
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U.S. States AnimalsTurkey vultures are large birds of a dark brown color, which from a distance seem black, with long, wide wings. There are long "fingers" at the tips of their wings and their long tails extend past their toes in flight. The head and neck have sparse bristles and are bright red in color. Their relatively large beak is a white color, while their sharp eyes are dull yellow. Most of their body is dark, as are the forewings but the undersides of their flight feathers (on the trailing edge and tips of the wings) are paler, creating a two-toned effect.
Turkey vultures are found from Canada’s southern border to the southernmost part of Tierra del Fuego in Chile. These birds are widespread over nearly all American habitats but they tend to show particular habitat preferences. They are most commonly found in relatively open areas which juxtapose with woodland, which are important both for nesting and roosting. In North America, they generally avoid enclosed forested areas that may hamper their ability to take flight and tend to often favor hill or low mountainous areas that make catching flight easier with less effort. These birds are often seen over grasslands but are usually absent from completely treeless areas such as some parts of the prairies or Great Plains. Additionally, they may adapt to tropical and subtropical forests, shrublands, deserts, and semi-desert, wetlands, and foothills. They also favor agricultural land, mainly pastureland or other low-input farmland for foraging, and may be seen over urban areas.
Turkey vultures typically roost in large groups, but search independently for food, during daylight hours. Several hundred birds have been seen roosting together, sometimes along with black vultures. Populations living in colder areas migrate to warmer climates. They roost on dead, leafless trees, and sometimes nest in caves. A vulture is often seen standing with its wings spread, a stance believed to serve several purposes: warming the body, drying the wings, and baking off bacteria. These birds are majestic soarers; when flying their wings are slightly raised to form a “V”. They soar gracefully on thermals and may soar in a small group, roosting in larger numbers.
Turkey vultures feed primarily on a wide variety of carrion, from small mammals to large grazers, preferring those recently dead, and avoiding carcasses that have reached the point of putrefaction. They may rarely feed on plant matter, shoreline vegetation, pumpkin, coconut, and other crops, live insects, and other invertebrates. They rarely, if ever, kill prey themselves; when they do it tends to be comprised of small weak offspring of various animals. They also will feed near bodies of water on washed-up fish or insects that have become stranded in shallow water.
The Turkey vulture is monogamous, the mating-pair bond lasting for the breeding season, often for the whole year. Adult bonded pairs spend a great deal more time with each other than with any other vultures. The mating ritual begins with several birds gathering on the ground, hopping in a circle with their wings partially spread. A bird might in flight closely follow a possible mate while performing a ritual of diving and flapping. Breeding occurs in North America from March to June. Females usually lay two eggs, sometimes one, but rarely three. Both of the parents incubate the eggs, which hatch after about 30 to 40 days. The fledging stage is reached after 70 to 80 days and the birds are independent after about a week.
Most documented Turkey vulture deaths are caused by humans, including collisions with vehicles or structures, and entrapment in leg-hold traps and fencing. People sometimes destroy the roosts of turkey vultures. They sometimes die due to poisons or lead from dead animals that they eat, particularly lead shot in carcasses or piles of guts left by hunters. Some are trapped and killed due to mistaken fears that they are responsible for spreading disease.
According to the All About Birds resource the total breeding population size of the Turkey vulture is around 18 million individuals. According to Wikipedia resource, the total population size of this species is around 4,500,000 individuals. Overall, currently, Turkey vultures are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today remain stable.
Like other vultures, this species plays an important role in the ecosystem by disposing of carrion, which would otherwise be a breeding ground for disease.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...