Vulture (Turkey)
(Cathartes aura)
Photographed in the wild, Phoenix, AZ Mar 2009
Kissimmee, FL Mar 2011 Marco Island, FL Mar 2012
The Turkey Vulture is one of North
America's largest birds of prey. It reaches a length of 32 inches with a wing
span of 6 feet. Its colour is brown-black with a featherless, red head, white
bill, and yellow feet among mature adults.
In flight, the Turkey Vulture rocks
from side to side, rarely flapping its wings which are held at a V-angle called
a dihedral. Silver-grey flight feathers look lighter than the black lining
feathers of the under wing.
There is an important purpose to the
vulture's bald head. When the vulture is eating carrion, it must often
stick its head inside the carcass to reach the meat. A feathery head
would capture unwanted pieces of the vulture's meal, along with all the
bacteria it hosts. After mealtime, the turkey vulture perches in the heat
of the sun. Here, whatever has managed to cling to the few bits of fuzz
on their head will be baked off once and for all.
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