Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
This bird got its name from its superficial resemblance to the Wild Turkey. As it has feet more like a chicken than an eagle, it is the only scavenger bird that cannot kill its prey. Its powerful beak, however, can rip through even the toughest cow hide. If a Turkey Vulture is disturbed or pestered, it throws up on whatever is bothering it.
Most birds cannot smell. Not so with the Turkey Vulture, which has one of the most sensitive noses of all animals. It can discern the scent of rotting flesh in concentrations as small as a few parts per billion in the air and up to 6.5 miles away! You can see through its nasal openings, really one large opening, which allows air to flow directly over the olfactory nerves.
A group of perched vultures is called a wake. Kettles are groups of vultures spiraling upward to gain altitude in thermal updrafts. Note the uplifted wings in a sort of "V" shape. This is helpful in identifying them at a distance.
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
This bird got its name from its superficial resemblance to the Wild Turkey. As it has feet more like a chicken than an eagle, it is the only scavenger bird that cannot kill its prey. Its powerful beak, however, can rip through even the toughest cow hide. If a Turkey Vulture is disturbed or pestered, it throws up on whatever is bothering it.
Most birds cannot smell. Not so with the Turkey Vulture, which has one of the most sensitive noses of all animals. It can discern the scent of rotting flesh in concentrations as small as a few parts per billion in the air and up to 6.5 miles away! You can see through its nasal openings, really one large opening, which allows air to flow directly over the olfactory nerves.
A group of perched vultures is called a wake. Kettles are groups of vultures spiraling upward to gain altitude in thermal updrafts. Note the uplifted wings in a sort of "V" shape. This is helpful in identifying them at a distance.