Pl. X
The Birds · Plate X
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Cathartidae · Taxon 4756
| Length | 64–81 cm (25.2–31.9 in) |
| Wingspan | 170–183 cm (66.9–72.1 in) |
| Weight | 0.85–2.0 kg (1.9–4.4 lb) |
Field marks
- Large, dark brown-black vulture with a small, bare head.
- Adults show a red, wrinkled head and a pale hooked bill.
- Long, broad wings have conspicuously fingered tips.
- In flight, the wings are held in a shallow V (dihedral).
- Underwings are two-toned: dark leading edge and paler silvery trailing flight feathers.
- Long tail extends beyond the toe tips in flight.
HabitatOpen and semi-open country, including mixed farmland, rangeland, forest edges, and other landscapes with carrion; roosts in secluded trees, cliffs, rocks, and similar elevated sites.
BehaviorSoars with wings held in a shallow V, often rocking side to side; rides thermals with few wingbeats and searches for carrion chiefly by smell.
Palette
dark brown-blackbare redpale ivorysilvery grayflesh pink