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Turkey Vulture
Other Names:
Cherokee: Suli
Spanish: Buitre de la cara roja
Spanish: el Zopilote
Belize: John Crow
Common Names: Turkey Buzzard, Buzzard, Carrion Crow
Cathartes aura  © Dieter Schaefer
5 sub-species of the Turkey Vulture have been identified namely C. a. aura, C. a. jota, C. a. meridionalis, C. a. ruficollis and C. a. septentrionalis.
The Turkey Vulture has dark brown to black plumage and a featherless, purple-red head and neck. Their beak is short, hooked and ivory coloured.
Length: 64–81cm
Wingspan: 170–183cm
Weight: 0.85–2.26kg
Distribution:
 Map of Turkey Vulture by Hey jude, don't let me down under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 License.
Summer Range: Yellow
Resident year round: Green
Habitat: They inhabit open and semi-open areas such as subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures and deserts.
Food: Their diet is mostly carrion but they may also feed on plant matter or insects.
Breeding: The breeding season starts in March and ends in June. During courtship, several individuals form a circle where they will perform hopping movements with their wings slightly spread out. Courtship rituals in the air consist of dives and flapping while closely following another bird.
Nest: Their nest is located in a tree hollow, cave, cliff, rock crevice or thickets with no added nesting materials.
Eggs: 2 cream-coloured eggs are laid by the Female. The eggs have brown or lavender spots around their larger end.
Incubation: The incubation period lasts for 30-40 days and both parents contribute.
Nestlings: Two chicks are generally raised each year. Both parents feed the chicks by means of regurgitating. The chicks fledge in 9-10 weeks.
Interesting Facts:
# The Turkey Vulture is the most widespread vulture of the New World vultures with a global population of 4,500,000 individuals.
# They are legally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
# Their lifespan can be expected to be 16 years or more.
# They have a keen eyesight and sense of smell in order to locate carrion.
# Turkey Vultures lack a vocal organ therefore their vocalizations consist of grunts and low hisses.
# These vultures lower their night-time body temperature by about 6 °C to 34 °C , becoming slightly hypothermic.
# They often defecates on their own legs to cool their blood vessels in their legs and feet. Other Vultures: Vulture, American Black Vulture, Lappet-faced
» 1 Comment
1Comment
at Thursday, 06 August 2009 19:50
that is a very healthy population!
Candy, the photo you found is just incredible! am thoroughly enjoying these vulture bird guide items!!!
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