You see them soaring on the thermals rising above the earth with broad, dark wings extending into fingertips. Circling above as if looking for something…which in fact is what they are doing, looking for carrion, the dead of our world. Probably characterized more than any other bird species, you have seen them in many cartoons and comic strips, such as Gary Larson’s Far Side. I am talking about the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) or as it is commonly called, the “buzzard.”
This bird won’t be winning any beauty contests, its head has no feathers instead it is just wrinkled skin; the better for it to reach inside a piece of carrion and pluck out a tasty morsel. No sense in getting one’s “hair” messed up.
I have seen the turkey vulture in a number of settings. Needless to say, it is a very adaptable bird. I just recently passed two feeding on a road-kill squirrel on CR 200N. I have seen them in farm fields, large numbers perched on power line stanchions, and more recently on the roof of a local church. I am sure you have your own stories.
In spite of the lack of beauty, they really do serve a very valuable purpose. They are the dog under the dining room table so to speak, nature’s vacuum cleaner. What is left on the road or in the field is cleaned up. Hiking recently in Brown County State Park, I found the remains of a deer carcass off the trail. The dance of the vultures had clearly occurred and bones had been stripped clean, a very efficient process from all appearances.
One of only two avian scavengers in the eastern United States, its body is from 26 to 27 inches long with a maximum wingspan of six feet. Up close the small, naked, red head gives the adult bird away. The head of the immature turkey vulture is blackish in color. Note the two toned wings when looking up at this bird as it soars in search of its next meal. The turkey vulture is present throughout the United States, southern Canada, and Mexico. It can be found year around in part of southern Indiana and migrates as far south as Mexico in winter.
In southern Indiana, the turkey vulture’s territory overlaps with that of the black vulture (Coragyps atratus). Initially difficult to differentiate, the black vulture is smaller in size, black in color and with a gray head in adults. Also, when seen from below the black vulture has a whitish patch towards its wingtip.
Possessing a keen sense of smell, the turkey vulture can detect dead and decaying animals even in wooded settings. They feed exclusively on carrion from as small as a mouse to as large as a deer. In fact, it may be the increase in the white-tail deer population that has led to the rising population of turkey vultures. More deer means more road-kill and, consequently, more carrion. They are site feeders and regurgitate food later for their young. Because they feed on carrion, their feet and talons are small and weak.
The turkey vulture lays its eggs in remote areas generally inaccessible to predators. This may include cliffs, hollow logs, caves, or dense shrubbery. The female typically lays two eggs. There is little or no nest with the eggs often being laid on bare ground. The young are carefully concealed to avoid predators since they are fed carrion.
So, the turkey vulture may not be the most beautiful bird in Indiana, but it may be one of the most useful. Keep your eyes peeled to the sky above. Searching from above for food, they wait for mother nature to drop a morsel from the dinner table. You can be sure they will be ready to snatch it up before the family dog.
