Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura

Life span
Even today, there is little information on just how long turkey vultures live. One study had shown that a banded turkey vulture lived a little over 16 years.

Statistics
-26–32 in length with 68–72 inch wingspan, adult birds weigh a little over 3lbs. 

Physical Description
The turkey vulture is a large bird. Its body is covered in brownish-black feathers; the head is read and mostly bald. The flight feathers on the wings are a silver-gray on the under side. The turkey vulture has a short, hooked bill. 

Distribution
Turkey vultures can be found from Southern Canada all the way to Cape Horn, the tip of South America. Turkey Vultures remain in the southern United States, Mexico, and South America year round.

Habitat
The Turkey Vultures inhabit subtropical forests, shrublands, deserts, and foothills. They can also be found in pastures, grasslands, and wetlands.

Diet
Feeds primarily on a wide variety of carrion, (dead animals) ranging from small mammals to large grazers such as cows. On the rare occasion Turkey vultures have been known to feed on plants and fruit.

Behavior
Turkey Vultures forage for food individually during the day, and return to a roost with large groups at night. They prefer dead, leafless trees as roosts. A turkey vulture has few natural predators, when it is in trouble; its main line of defense is vomiting. They display a few interesting behaviors such as the “Horaltic pose” in which they stand with their wings spread out. Many believe this stance serves multiple purposes: to dry out the wings, to warm the body, and to bake off bacteria.

Reproduction
Several individuals will gather in a circle, where they perform hopping movements around the perimeter of the circle with wings partially spread. Only one brood of 1-3 eggs can be laid per year. Turkey vultures make nests in protected areas such as cliffs, caves, and rock crevices. It is both of the parents’ responsibility to feed and protect the young, which are in their parents care up to 11 weeks.
bird closely follows another while flapping and diving
Conservation status
Protected under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act

Voice
Turkey vultures, along with most other vulture species, have little capacity for vocalization. The birds will hiss when they are in danger, and grunt when mating or hungry.

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