Vulture-Turkey

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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Vulture-King

Vulture (King)

(Cacatuagalerita)

Photographed at,    Reid Zoo,  Tucson, AZ       Mar 2010

Animal Kingdom,   Orlando, FL      Mar 2011

King vultures are most closely related to condors. Although listed as common, king vultures are declining in numbers, primarily due to habitat loss.

The reason for the coloured head skin is unknown, as both sexes look alike. The head and neck of a king vulture totally lacks any feathers. This helps to prevent bacteria and remains of the carcass from "fowling" up the feathers on the head. After eating, the vulture will relax in the sun and allow the heat to bake off the bacteria.

King vultures spend much of each day soaring on thermals looking for food, which is detected by watching the actions of other vultures and possibly by smell. The king vulture has one of the most powerful beaks of all American vultures and can open a carcass that other vultures cannot. For this reason, they often eat first and other vultures feed off the remains.

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Vulture-Black

Vulture (Black)

(Cathartes aura)

Photographed in the wild, Kissimmee, FL      Mar 2011

The more southern of our two common vulture species, the Black Vulture flaps its wings rather frequently while it soars. It is more social than the Turkey Vulture, often traveling in large flocks. Their white wing tips and black head separates them from Turkey vultures which have reddish heads and whiter on the bottom of their wings.

Like all vultures, black vultures mainly eat carrion.  They do not appear to be very good at finding their own meals, and they often wait until they see a group of turkey vultures feeding. One-on-one, a Black Vulture can be dominated by the slightly larger Turkey Vulture. Black Vultures rarely travel alone and can quickly take over a carcass and drive the more solitary Turkey Vultures away. They have been to gang up on an Eagle and take their kill away from them. They have also been known to occasionally catch young and helpless birds and mammals.

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Vultures

       Black Vulture                   King Vulture                       Turkey Vlture                     Andean  Condor

A vulture is a scavenging bird of prey. The two types of vultures are the New World vultures, including the Andean condors, and the Old World vultures, including the birds that are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains. New World vultures are found in North and South America; Old World vultures are found in Europe, Africa, and Asia, meaning that between the two groups, vultures are found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.

A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of normal feathers. It has been historically believed to help keep the head clean when feeding.  Vultures have been observed to hunch their bodies and tuck in their heads in the cold, and open their wings and stretch their necks in the heat. Vultures also use urine as a way to keep themselves cool by urinating on themselves.

A group of vultures is called a kettle, committee or wake. The term kettle refers to vultures in flight, while committee refers to vultures resting on the ground or in trees. Wake is reserved for a group of vultures that are feeding. 

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