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The Turkey Vulture is a common sight to those of us
who live in Sonoma County. An adult's wing span is a whopping
6 feet. Its color is brown-black with a balk, red head, white
bill and yellow feet. Immature birds have a darker face. They
are usually silent, but will sometimes give a groan, or a soft
hiss. The turkey vulture can be identified in flight by its rather
unstable appearance: it rocks from side to side, rarely flapping
its wings. The wings are thought to look like a TV antenna: they
are held at a V-angle called a dihedral. Silver-gray flight feathers
look lighter than the black feathers of the underwing, and its
tail extends beyond its legs and feet in flight.
Of course, turkey vultures are known for their main diet of
dead animals, but they will someitmes attack young and helpless
animals as well. Their water comes for the most part from the
moisture in carrion. They have a very sophisticated immune system,
and their "bald" head is easy to keep clean, which
also helps to avoid disease. They have a keen sense of smell,
something not common to most other birds. A fact many children
find fascinating is the turkey vulture's habit of "vomiting"
on anything that startles it (including predators) when it has
eaten so much that it can't fly away. This not only grosses out
the potential threat, but instantly lightens the bird's load
so that it can make an escape!
No nest is built for the 1 to 3 eggs that turkey vultures
lay in logs or among rocks on the ground, or in cliff hollows.
Both parents participate in egg incubation for up to one month. |
Turkey Vulture
Stamps
