An eagle-sized black bird with long wings and tail, white beak and legs, and a small, bare, red head covered with white bumps. The most common North American vulture and one of the largest flying birds, the Turkey Vulture is extremely graceful. It soars high overhead searching for carcasses using its keen senses of smell and sight. Turkey Vultures are valuable for their removal of garbage and disease-carrying animals.
Forest, Grassland, Wetland, Urban
Turkey Vultures is the most widely distributed vulture in the Americas and rivals its cousin the black vulture as the most abundant raptorial bird worldwide. It is found in open and semi-open areas throughout the Americas from southern Canada to Cape Horn. It is a permanent resident in the southern United States, though northern birds may migrate as far south as South America
Common
Diurnal
The turkey vulture is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion.
The turkey vulture roosts in large community groups, breaking away to forage independently during the day. This vulture is often seen standing in a spread-winged or horaltic (pose with wings spread and raised) stance. The stance is believed to serve multiple functions: drying the wings, warming the body, and baking off bacteria. It is practiced more often following damp or rainy nights. The turkey vulture is awkward on the ground with an ungainly, hopping walk. It requires a great deal of effort to take flight, flapping its wings while pushing off the ground and hopping with its feet. While soaring, the turkey vulture holds its wings in a shallow V-shape and often tips from side to side.
Because turkey vultures are major consumer of carrion, they play an important role in biodegradation.
Least Concern
