Western Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura aura
- Habitat: open country and woodlands
- Range: Southern Canada to South America
- Natural Diet: carrion occasionally small mammals, birds, and reptiles
- Status In The Wild: Common
Fun Facts
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Turkey vultures have a highly developed sense of smell and are among very few birds that use this sense to locate food.
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These majestic birds are scavengers in the wild and they are uniquely adapted to eat carrion.
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Their featherless heads help them keep clean as they stick their heads inside a carcass to feed.
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They are able to soar for miles, without flapping their wings, climbing on thermals (upward moving warm air).
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Much of the water they require is obtained from the moisture in their food.
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Turkey vultures are basically silent birds because they do not have a voice box or syrinx. When agitated they hiss and grunt.
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Vultures are protected from disease associated with decaying animals by a sophisticated immune system.
Conservation Threats
The major threats are:
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Loss of habitat due to urbanization has had a detrimental effect on free-ranging population numbers
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Collision with traffic and electric wires are other forms of threat
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Their population numbers have also declined due to illegal hunting practices
