Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura

Order CICONIIFORMES - Family CATHARTIDAE

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

Although it has an ugly, bare-skinned face, the Turkey Vulture is beautiful on the wing. Seldom does this graceful and talented bird flap its wings as it soars over large areas searching for carrion.

Cool Facts

• The Turkey Vulture uses its sense of smell to locate carrion. The part of its brain responsible for processing smells is particularly large, compared to other birds. Its heightened ability to detect odors allows it to find dead animals below a forest canopy.

• The Turkey Vulture maintains stability and lift at low altitudes by holding its wings up in a slight dihedral (V-shape) and teetering from side to side while flying. It flies low to the ground to pick up the scent of dead animals.

• Like its stork relatives, the Turkey Vulture often defecates on its own legs, using the evaporation of the water in the feces to cool itself down.

• The Turkey Vulture usually forages alone, unlike its smaller, more social relative, the Black Vulture. Although one Turkey Vulture can dominate a single Black Vulture at a carcass, usually such a large number of Black Vultures appear that they can overwhelm a solitary Turkey Vulture and take most of the food.

Description

• Size: 64-81 cm (25-32 in)
• Wingspan: 170-178 cm (67-70 in)
• Weight: 2000 g (70.6 ounces)

• Large soaring bird.
• Long wings and tail.
• Body feathers entirely blackish-brown.
• Red head mostly unfeathered.

• Flight feathers on wings appear silvery-gray underneath, contrasting with the darker wing linings.
• Red head mostly unfeathered.
• Relatively short, hooked bill ivory-colored.
• Soars for long periods, flaps wings infrequently and slowly.
• While soaring holds wings slightly up in a V shape.

Sex Differences

Sexes appear similar, but female slightly larger.

Immature

Juvenile has gray head with black beak tip.

Similar Species

• Black Vulture has white patch only at end of wings (outer primaries), has shorter wings, a short tail, a black head, does not soar with wings held up in a V, and flaps much more frequently.
• Zone-tailed Hawk is amazingly similar in appearance at a distance, but has barred, not silvery flight feathers, a feathered head, a barred tail, and yellow feet and base of bill (cere).
• Golden Eagle holds its wings up slightly in a dihedral, but does not tilt from side to side. Golden Eagle has a dark trailing edge to the silvery wing feathers, and shows mottling on the upper side of the wings.

Sound

Usually silent. Makes hiss at carcasses, roosts, and nest.

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds from southern Canada throughout the United States and southward through southern South America and the Caribbean. Local or absent in Great Plains.

Winter Range

Winters from northern California, Mexican border, eastern Texas, southern Missouri, and southern New York southward throughout the southeastern United States and south.

Habitat

• Prefers rangeland and areas of mixed farmland and forest.
• Roosts in large trees or on large urban buildings.

Food

Wide variety of carrion, from small mammals to dead cows. Also some insects, other invertebrates, and some fruit.

Behavior

Foraging

Soars over large distances and detects carrion by sight and smell.

Reproduction

Nest Type

No nest structure. Puts eggs directly on ground in caves, crevices, mammal burrows, hollow logs, under fallen trees, or in abandoned buildings.

Egg Description

Creamy-white with dark blotches around large end.

Clutch Size

Usually 2 eggs. Range: 1-3.

Condition at Hatching

Downy and helpless. Unable to hold head up, but can hiss.

Conservation Status

Overall North American populations have increased over the last few decades and the breeding range has expanded northward.

Other Names

Urubu à tête rouge, Vautour (French)
Zopilote Aura, Aura cabecirroja (Spanish)

Sources used to construct this page:

Kirk, D. A., and M. J. Mossman. 1998. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura). In The Birds of North America, No. 339 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.