See all posts in the Birds of Carver County series

Turkey vultures are commonly seen in Carver County starting in late March. Perhaps its appearance has influenced people to not see this bird as a messenger of approaching spring. In its defense, the fact that you see a vulture means that it is airborne due to its ability to rise upwards on warm air – which means that winter is truly nearing its end. If we were in the habit of creating our own myths and legends, we might well associate turkey vultures with devouring winter as it does with all the dead animals it removes for us.

During the seven months they soar circles above our treetops, a turkey vulture will be scavenging carrion that it has smelled or seen. Those finely-tuned abilities have enabled the species to populate almost all of North and South America. Their stomach biology allows vultures to consume carcasses without becoming sick from the diseases that develop with decay. The large hook-tipped beak is made for ripping off pieces rather than being the tool of a predator that kills its prey. Because they lack feathers on their heads and legs, turkey vultures have the advantage of not becoming coated by their rotting meals.

According to BirdsOfTheWorld.com, natural gas companies introduced the carrion-like fragrance ethyl mercaptan into their pipelines and have used the presence of  turkey vultures to detect leaks in their system.

They are secretive in their nesting locations, so it hasn’t been proven they raise their young here. Perhaps “nesting” is the wrong description, because they don’t build nests. Instead, they lay one to three eggs on bare surfaces away from humans and predators. Both sexes take turns incubating the eggs for 30 to 40 days. Then they spend the next three months caring for their young as they grow feathers and reach their adult size of about two feet in length, five feet of wingspan and about four pounds. The juvenile vultures have a dark head and beak, but the feathers are be dark brown like adults.

When soaring, the underside of their wings look silver. When they are seen by themselves, their wings form a V, and they rock back and forth. When one is mobbed by an aggressive blackbird,  turkey vultures look very large by comparison.

When they are not hunting for food or tending to their eggs and fledglings, turkey vultures may roost with dozens of others. Juveniles are not allowed to roost with grownups, so they perch on lower branches. Maybe that counts as “alone time” for the monogamous parents, who form long-term bonds and reunite near their nesting site every year.

Turkey vultures form soaring groups called “kettles” so that if one bird finds a sizable carcass and descends to eat, others can follow it down for a meal that is politely shared. This is unlike the images we see on television of a free-for-all of different species trying to out-snatch their competition. 

Turkey vultures also form kettles for migratory journeys, so vultures have company during their long journey to and from Central and South America. Because they have a slow method of food detection, vultures may not feed during the two weeks of travel. One bird that was radio-tagged in Saskatchewan traveled 3,700 miles to winter in Venezuela.

Turkey vultures don’t capture our attention by singing pleasant songs. Their beauty is not notable in its aesthetic to be placed on calendar pages or greeting cards. There are no examples on social media of nestling vultures playing with our pet cats and dogs. But if they weren’t cleansing our roadsides or picking up dead fish during our spring thaws, we would be hoping that nature would figure out a way to make our life more pleasant.

For more information:

• The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley
• Birds of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Janssen, Tessen, and Kennedy
• Breeding Birds of Minnesota, Pfannmuller, Niemi and Green
• The Audubon Society’s Encyclopedia of North American Birds, John K. Terres
• Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
• Online: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology LINK
• Online: Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas