Turkey vulture

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Onglets

Description

Distinguishing features

Although there are no true vultures in the Americas, the turkey vulture and other members of the cathartidae family play the same ecological role, that of carrion eater.

It is a large vulture-like bird with a small, bald head covered in red, wrinkly skin. Its plumage is black, except on the underside of the wings, which show contrasting black and light grey feathers. Its ivory-coloured bill is relatively short and hooked. Although there is no sexual dimorphism, the female tends to be taller.

Turkey vultures are excellent gliders; they can be seen gliding for hours, wings fully extended and no flapping required. They circle, riding on the ascending movement of thermal columns. The position of their wings is therefore characteristic—slightly raised, forming a very wide V-shape.

Reproduction

The courtship display of this bird consists of a dance in which a number of turkey vultures take part. The birds hop around, with their wings spread, in an open area on the ground.

Turkey vultures nest on rocky escarpments and rockfalls, in marshes or in wooded undergrowth. They generally lay two eggs directly on the ground. Both parents care for the young, which they feed by regurgitation. They return to their nesting site each year.

Incubation varies from 28 to 41 days, and the chicks fledge at about nine weeks.

Diet

Turkey vultures are scavengers, feeding almost exclusively on carrion. They find food by sight or with their highly developed sense of smell, which they use to pick up the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the decay of dead animals.

They may occasionally eat some rotten plant material (pumpkins, coconut, palm fruit, …).

In Québec, turkey vultures’ diet consists usually of the carcasses of small animals (groundhogs, shrews and occasionally domestic animals), as their bill is too small to cut through the tough skin of larger animals. However, they can take advantage of larger carcasses if they had time to putrefy or if they have been opened by either carnivorous mammals or road kills.

Turkey vultures are also known to visit dump sites, where they find abundant food; this has increased their numbers and expanded their range.

In tropical regions, they cooperate with other native scavenger birds of the same family. Black vultures do not have a good sense of smell, but their more powerful bill allows them to open up larger carcasses with thicker hides. By working together, the two species can expand their opportunities for food. Once they have eaten its fill, turkey vultures may not eat or drink for up to 15 days.

Predators

Turkey vultures have few natural predators. More often, it's their eggs and chicks that are victims of predators.

Habitat

The turkey vulture is found in both temperate and tropical regions. It is also not a forest species; it prefers open areas such as roadsides, deforested land, prairies and sometimes deserts. Other species in the same family, such as the king vulture and the forest vulture, are more characteristic of the tropical rainforest habitat.

Of all the members of the Cathartidae family, the turkey vulture has the greatest range, extending from Tierra del Fuego to southern Canada, and is pushing further north.

In Québec, it is mostly found in agricultural areas and nearby deciduous or mixed forests. It seems to favour valleys and escarpments which produce the thermals it requires to glide for long periods of time.
Turkey vultures can sometimes be seen in Montréal.

Ecology, behaviour

This species has benefited from the development of cities and the road network in North America, taking advantage of the food found in municipal dumps and roadkill.

In general, turkey vultures live alone or in groups of two or three. However, they do show some gregarious behaviour, and it is not unusual to see dozens of individuals roosting together in tall trees at the start or the end of the day.

They can occasionally be seen perched with their wings open to the sun like a cormorant; this behaviour dries (and sterilizes) their soiled feathers and warms them up.

Turkey vultures are awkward on the ground, hopping to move around. Taking flight takes a great deal of effort, involving much flapping and hopping or pushing off the ground with their feet.

They sometimes have to regurgitate part of their undigested meal in order to be able to take off. Regurgitation is also used as a defence against predators, which flee from the foul smell and acidity of the half-digested meat. Like storks, the turkey vulture often defecates on its own legs, using the evaporation of the water in the feces to cool itself.

French name

Urubu à tête rouge

Scientific name

Cathartes aura

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Birds

Order

Cathartiforme

Family

Cathartidae

Size

65 to 80 cm tall; 173 to 183 cm wingspan.

Weight

0.85 to 2 kg; average 1.4 kg.

Life span

In nature: average 10 years, record 17 years; in captivity: up to 31 years.

Status

Least concern (IUCN 2012).

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