Turkey Vulture (TUVU) Cathartes aura https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/83325511#_ga=2.1464 https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/media-browser/60317261 89908.1049791428.1584571249-13185941.1583272955 Long wings help turkey vultures soar without wasting energy on flapping. Look for the pink head on adult birds. Characteristics Habitat ➔ Found in wilderness areas throughout ➔ Black body, and long black wings with much of North and South America silver flight feathers. ➔ Prefers areas with strong thermals for ➔ Featherless head is pink on adults, gray ease of soaring on juveniles ➔ Length: 64-81 cm ➔ Wingspan: 170-178 cm ➔ Weight: 2000 g ➔ Not sexually dimorphic; males and females look the same tracks/footprint info/pictures Behavior ➔ Soars great distances on thermal Other interesting pictures updrafts, often without flapping ➔ Holds wings at an angle while soaring. Forms a shallow V shape when seen from the front Photo by Steve Wolfe at https://www.birdnote.org/show/soaring-redtails ➔ Call is a soft hiss, made only rarely A soaring red-tailed hawk for comparison. When ➔ May urinate on legs to cool off overhead, colors may be difficult to distinguish. ➔ May vomit in self-defense Compare outlines of wings and tail. Turkey Vulture (TUVU) Cathartes aura Diet Range ➔ ➔ Zzyzx-specific Information ➔ ➔ ➔ https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/maps-range Conservation Status ➔ Least Concern ➔ Harmed by lead poisoning from bullets left in game animals Did you know?! ➔ Turkey vultures are one of the only birds to rely heavily on their sense of smell. They use this sense to find rotting meat to eat. Their huge nostrils https://audubonportland.org/our-work/rehabilitate-wildlife/education-animals/ruby/ are especially strange because they have no septum. You can see through one nostril and out the other! Hint: Look for turkey vulture tracks around the carcasses of dead animals. Turkey Vulture Sources https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/83325511#_ga=2.146489908.1049791428.1584571249-13185941.1583272955 https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/media-browser/60317261 https://www.birdnote.org/show/soaring-redtails https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Turkey_Vulture/maps-range https://audubonportland.org/our-work/rehabilitate-wildlife/education-animals/ruby/.