Okay, so today’s Wild Fact is brought to you by my brother who happened to be driving in Southern Ontario when he came across a Turkey-like bird eating some fresh roadkill. Obviously, he asked me about this bird and as a result, you all get the joy of learning about the Turkey Vulture. If you live in the Americas then you have probably heard of the Turkey Vulture, although you may know them by their other name, Buzzards. They can actually be found from southern Canada all the way down to South America.
The Turkey Vulture is a larger bird with a wingspan of 170-183 cm (67-72″) and they can weigh up to 2.26 kg (5 lbs). This particular bird is fairly easy to spot as they have the dark brown feathers, a small head, which is red in colour and has few to no feathers on it. This bald head helps ensure they don’t get bacteria caught in their feathers from their food. As alluded to in the opening paragraph, they typically feed on carrion, which is just a fancy way of saying roadkill. When you are eating dead animals, the last thing you want is to get a bunch of food stuck in your feathers, right?
You may not realize this but the Turkey Vulture is actually a social bird that roosts in large groups. In fact, they have been known to roost with hundreds of other vultures. During the day, they take a break from the hustle and bustle of the large community group and go scavenging on their own. They probably feel pretty confident going out on their own since they have very few natural predators. I don’t blame the predators for leaving them alone since the Turkey Vulture has an interesting defense mechanism. They will regurgitate semi-digested meat, which is not only foul smelling but will also sting the predator if they happen to get this in their face. Talk about a disgusting defense mechanism!
If you have ever witnessed a Turkey Vulture on the ground you would think they are one of the most awkward looking birds. On the ground they sort of hop around and just look incredibly out of place. It also takes them a lot of effort to get off the ground and take flight. Since they can’t really get a running start they need to flap their wings quite a bit and push off the ground. Once they get in the air though, these birds are some of the most elegant and graceful fliers you will ever see. Once air-born, the Turkey Vulture will hardly flap its wings and will just soar using the thermal currents to help them out. Who would have thought that such an odd looking bird would be so graceful in flight.
Below is a video of a Turkey Vulture in flight, but I have to warn you that you may get motion sickness watching this so be careful. Enjoy the video and have a great day.
