The turkey vulture is native to America. She belongs to the vulture family and lives in the steppes. This bird can also be found on the islands that are located near the Caribbean Sea. Most often, their nest can be seen above the road, near some kind of reservoir or field.
Vulture turkey
The turkey neck is large enough for a wild bird. They easily adapt to any climate. But they still prefer warm regions.
Turkey vulture appearance
A turkey neck has a small head that is practically bald, it is not covered with feathers.
The skin is reddish and densely covered with wrinkles and folds. All feathers on the body are black, except for the tips of the wings, they are light gray. This bird has a very long and narrow tail. The paws are powerful, the skin is rough, very dense, dark gray.
The appearance of the female and the male is the same, they differ only in body length. This bird differs from other breeds in the color of its head feathers. The turkey measures 81 centimeters and has a wingspan of 170 centimeters. The weight of the bar can be 2 kilograms.
Breed prevalence
The turkey vulture is a bird of prey most commonly found in America or Canada. She prefers a southern climate more than a northern one, but she can easily live there. Some individuals easily adapt to other parts of the world. More recently, this type has begun to spread on the islands near the Caribbean.
The turkey prefers open spaces. Therefore, most often it can be found in fields, meadows, the coastline or near the road. There are many of these birds in North America, so if you want to find them, it will not be difficult. Many tourists go to see this unusual turkey with pleasure.
What turkey vultures eat
A vulture turkey can graze but prefers raw meat. At the same time, the breed rarely attacks some kind of living creature. Because of this, they are also called the orderlies of nature, because they eat the meat of recently dead animals. The breed finds prey very easily. Even being far from a favorite treat, the bird smells it.
This type always returns to the place where the food was found. He does this in order to remove the traces of the feast. The turkey vulture absorbs such an amount of food that it can then be without food for half a month. But this is only if they do not have children. For people, this bird is absolutely not dangerous.
Vultures are very resistant to toxins, but they will not eat old carcasses. Therefore, the bird tries to find the dead animal as soon as possible. This species is very persistent and is constantly in flight in order to quickly feast on the not yet decomposed corpse. When they find what they were looking for, they begin to drive away other birds and animals from their prey. And more often than not, the bar does it easily.
Vulture turkey life
Large and strong feathers
The turkey vulture does not sleep alone, most often at night they can be found in small groups. Birds are located on a variety of trees. During sleep, they are silent, but sometimes they can make sounds such as grunting or hissing. In winter, they try to leave the cold regions and go south, but there are those who remain in the same place. After all, in winter it is easier to find prey.
During flight, the turkey vulture practices sweating using a warm stream of air. There is no such air flow in the ocean. Therefore, the breed tries to fly only over land. Even when they want to go to another country, birds go around the seas, rivers and oceans.
This turkey is also called a virtuoso, because so few people can fly like it. They can fly for a very long time without lowering their wings. In flight, the type swings from one side to the other very interestingly. Vulture turkey very rarely flaps its wings, because it is held by the air.
It is very difficult for them to flap their wings, but they fly easily and naturally. A turkey vulture can be in flight for 6 hours. At the same time, he never flapped his wings.
Breeding turkeys of the vulture breed
Unlike similar birds, the turkey vulture tries to avoid the city. Birds that live in North America build their nests in crevices and on ledges. Most often they are located in pastures and forests. The breed considers these places to be safer for the birth of their offspring.
They also use places like:
- nests of other birds;
- burrows;
- abandoned buildings;
- caves.
This type of vulture is one of a kind that stays with its other half forever. Also, every year they return to the place where the previous offspring were bred. After returning home, they carry out a small demonstration in the form of a mating flight. One turkey flies after another, and their movements at this moment are the same.
The eggs of these birds have a pale cream-colored shell with small brown spots. A female can lay one to three eggs at a time. Both the female and the male incubate them, this period is five weeks. After the chicks are born, mom and dad feed them together. Over time, the frequency of feeding becomes less frequent.
Feeding of chicks is carried out by the method of lowering food directly into the mouth by the parents. This continues until the offspring are 60 or 80 days old. A few weeks after the babies have made the flight, they begin to sleep near the nest. But as soon as the young have studied the area, they leave the territory where the nest is located. Adult manes can give birth and raise only one brood per year.
Vulture, turkey vulture. Delightful wild Oregon.
Conclusion
The turkey vulture is a predatory and very intelligent bird. She can rehabilitate herself in a new place in a short period. Over the past few years, the turkey has spread so much across America that today it can be found anywhere on the continent. Despite the fact that this breed is a predator, it does not kill other animals. This species prefers, there are already dead creatures.
The bird of this breed is very intelligent and monogamous. She will never leave her soul mate and children. Parents prepare chicks before releasing them into adulthood, and they, in turn, learn everything very quickly. After the babies learn to look for food and become familiar with the surroundings, they can leave the nest. These birds easily adapt to life without parents.