June 18th, 2006
vulture culture
Continuing with sightings from yesterday’s hike . . . .
Although they may not qualify as the most elegant of birds, Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) are interesting nonetheless. We found this small group along a quiet road while on our way home yesterday. About twenty years ago, we rarely saw vultures — just the odd group circling high above a couple of stretches of highway in the upper Ottawa Valley. Now, they’re quite a regular sight throughout our region, and annual hawk watch statistics from southern Ontario reflect an increasing population in recent years. Some people claim that the increase is due to more and larger dumps where these birds can scavenge. However, I don’t share that opinion. If anything, I believe there are fewer sites where birds would have easy access to garbage as most refuse is now rapidly crushed and covered. I believe the increase in vultures is linked more to the rising number of road-killed animals which provide food for these scavengers.
Turkey vultures are most often seen in groups of three or more, circling high above roadways which they patrol in search of food. Soaring and drifting, their wings form a pronounced dihedral. They may stay airborne for hours, expending very little energy as they ride the thermals, often swiftly and gracefully moving through many miles of airspace. Occasionally, they are encountered moving about on the ground. On foot, they are a different creature as they awkwardly lumber about while picking or tugging at a roadkill. They are timid and when disturbed by an approaching vehicle, will often abandon their meal, clumsily flapping their huge wings as they struggle to rise to a nearby tree to patiently wait until the danger is past.
Vultures are social birds and may sometimes be found roosting together as in the above photo. They often nest in sheltered caves or cracks in rock formations. I’ve heard of a couple of nest sites in abandoned sheds or houses. The adults are almost entirely black, but with silvery flight feathers when viewed from beneath. The adults have red, featherless heads, while the juveniles have dark heads. I suspect that the vulture in the photo below (also taken yesterday), is a juvenile bird. Before they fledge, hatchling vultures are fuzzy and white with dark heads. The Sibley Guide to Birds states that adult vultures have a wingspan of 67 inches and a weight of 4 pounds (1.8 kgs).
My closest encounter with a vulture, aside from frequent sightings along roadsides, occurred several years ago while I was working in my garden. It was a very misty morning and my dog was lying on the lawn about 20 feet from where I was weeding. All of a sudden, I heard a faint whoosh and looked up to see a huge black bird slowly drifting a few feet above my head, tilting its wings and body slightly to one side as it gave my sleeping dog a brief perusal before disappearing off into the fog. I remember being impressed by its almost silent flight. While soaring or drifting, these birds really are quite magnificent in spite of their rather homely features.
Tags: Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura