By Amber Prinkey
No turkeys here at Sawgrass Nature Center but we do have a Turkey Vulture! Her name is Nelly and she has quite a personality! Nelly can be shy when she encounters new people. She may feel a little vulnerable because she has a wing injury and knows she can’t fly away. Maybe not the prettiest bird, turkey vultures still have a lot to teach us:
- Unlike most birds, the Turkey Vulture has a keen sense of smell that it uses to detect carrion (dead animals). In fact, they have the largest olfactory (smelling) system of all birds (that we know of, new data is coming out about other bird’s smelling abilities). They have been known to be able to smell carrion from over a mile away, which is unusual in the bird world.
- The Turkey Vulture often defecates on its own legs, using the evaporation of the water in the feces to cool itself down. Also, the acid in their poop kills bacteria caused by climbing into carcasses.
- The bald head of a vulture is a feeding adaptation which prevents bacterial infection as the bird’s head is submerged in a carcass
- Turkey Vultures are recognized while flying by their ability to soar, rarely flapping their wings at all in flight. Their wings form a slight “V” while soaring.
- Many raptors use the heat rising off the ground to help them ascend. This saves valuable energy.
- Adult birds have few predators as they will vomit up their last meal to chase them away.
- A group of vultures is called a committee, venue, or volt. In flight, a flock of vultures is a kettle, and when the birds are feeding together at a carcass, the group is called a wake.
As an important part of our ecosystem, vultures are known as nature’s clean-up crew. We have them to thank for eating dead and rotting things which helps keep our planet clean.