Cathartes aura
Table of Contents
Scientific Classification
| Kingdom: Animalia |
| Phylum: Chordata |
| Class: Aves |
| Order: Accipitriformes |
| Family: Cathartidae |
| Genus: Cathartes |
| Species: Cathartes aura |
Conservation Status
Identifying Features
Turkey vultures are a large black colored bird with a red featherless head. When soaring, their wings make a characteristic “V” shape. Their wingspan is about 6 feet!
Habitat & Range
Turkey vultures are found throughout the US, Mexico, and most of South America. These birds live in open areas and woodland, and prefer to nest along cliff edges.
Behavior
Turkey vultures are scavengers, with a preference towards freshly dead animals of almost any sort.
Life Cycle
To court, turkey vulture pairs will have a “follow flight” where one bird will lead the other in flight that may be repeated over several hours. These birds often nest on ledges, abandoned nests of other birds, or really wherever they can find that has an existing space for laying eggs. They don’t build a nest fully, and only do minimum adjustments. Often, they’ll use the same nest for many years. They lay a clutch of 1-3 eggs once a year. Babies are born mostly defenseless.
Featured image by Mike Baird.