Vultures: Turkey & King

Turkey Vulture - Spec. Name: Cathartes Aura


Bill: Slightly hooked, white or cream color
Size: 28-32 inches long with 70-inch wingspan, long neck
Colors: Black, gray, white, red, pink, brown
Markings: Male and female birds are similar with overall brown-black plumage. Some gray or white may show on the wings of perched birds but is much more prominent in the bi-colored pattern seen in flight with a dark leading edge and white or gray trailing edge and fingertips. The head is bare and red with white or greenish warts below and in front of the eye. The legs are pale red or pink.

Brown Turkey Vulture

These large birds feed on carrion generally.
Turkey vultures are fairly common and widespread throughout all types of habitats in the United States and the southern edge of Canada in the summer. Populations in the northern and mountain states as well as the Great Plains migrate seasonally, while turkey vultures in the Southeast and along the Pacific Coast may remain all year. These birds are year-round residents throughout the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America.

Black Turkey Vulture

These birds with their long, broad wings are majestic fliers and can soar for hours searching for food. Their flight pattern is easily recognized by the wings held in a slight V shape and rocking back and forth as they scan for a meal. Turkey vultures have extraordinary sight and are one of the few birds to have a highly developed sense of smell, which is useful when locating food. Flocks of turkey vultures can often be found at carcasses and they will also roost in flocks at night. When not soaring or feeding, these birds often spread their wings to sun.

These are monogamous birds and a mated pair will produce one brood of 1-3 eggs annually. Both parents incubate the young birds for 38-40 days, and they will feed the young birds via regurgitation for 65-85 days until the juveniles are ready to leave the nest.
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King Vulture - Spec. Name: Sarcoramphus Papa,  

King Vulture

Large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, though some believe that William Bartram's Painted Vulture of Florida may be of this species. It is the only surviving member of the genus Sarcoramphus, although fossil members are known.

Large and predominantly white, the King Vulture has gray to black ruff, flight, and tail feathers. The head and neck are bald, with the skin color varying, including yellow, orange, blue, purple, and red. The King Vulture has a very noticeable yellow fleshy caruncle on its beak. This vulture is a scavenger and it often makes the initial cut into a fresh carcass. It also displaces smaller New World vulture species from a carcass. King Vultures have been known to live for up to 30 years in captivity.

King Vultures were popular figures in the Mayan codices as well as in local folklore and medicine. Although currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, they are decreasing in number, due primarily to habitat loss.