General

Turkey Vulture: Medium-sized vulture, mostly black with red, featherless head and upper neck. Wings are held in a shallow V in flight. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Turkey Vulture: Breeds from southern British Columbia, central Saskatchewan, the Great Lakes, and Maine southward. Spends winters in the Southwest and eastern U.S. northward to southern New England. Ranges have expanded northward. Preferred habitats include deciduous forests, woodlands, and scrublands; often seen over adjacent farmlands.

Breeding and Nesting

Turkey Vulture: One to three creamy white eggs, often marked with brown, are laid in a rock crevice, hollow tree, or fallen hollow log, with no nest materials added. Incubation ranges from 38 to 41 days and is carried out by both parents.

Foraging and Feeding

Turkey Vulture: Feeds on carrion; forages by soaring, finding animal carcasses by sight or smell.

Vocalization

Turkey Vulture: Usually silent, but may hiss or grunt.

Similar Species

Turkey Vulture: Black Vulture is smaller with dark head, and glides with wings held horizontally. Bald and Golden eagles are both superficially similar, but fly on flat wings, have feathered heads, and do not have contrastingly gray flight feathers.