Turkey Vultures For Sale

The Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, also known in some North American regions as the Turkey Buzzard (or just "buzzard"), is a bird found throughout most of the Americas. One of three species in the genus Cathartes, in the family Cathartidae, it is the most widespread of the New World vultures, ranging from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. It inhabits a variety of open and semi open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures, and deserts. With a wingspan of 173-183 cm (68-72 in) and an average weight of 1.4 kg (3.1 lb), the Turkey Vulture is a large bird. It has dark brown to black plumage; a featherless, purplish red head and neck; and a short, hooked, ivory colored beak.

The Turkey Vulture is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion. It finds its meals using its sense of smell, flying low enough to detect the gases produced by the beginnings of the process of decay in dead animals. In flight, it uses thermals to move through the air, flapping its wings infrequently. It roosts in large community groups. Lacking a syrinx the vocal organ of birds its only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses. It nests in caves, hollow trees, or thickets, each year generally raising two chicks, which it feeds by regurgitation. It has very few natural predators.

The Turkey Vulture received its common name from the resemblance of the adult's bald red head and its dark plumage to that of the male Wild Turkey, while the name "vulture" is derived from the Latin word vulturus, meaning "tearer," and is a reference to its feeding habits.

The typical adult Turkey Vulture is from 66-81 cm (26-32 in) long with a 173-183 cm (68-72 in) wingspan and a weight of 1.4 kg (3.1 lb). It displays minimal sexual dimorphism; sexes are identical in plumage and in coloration, although the female is slightly larger. The body feathers are mostly brownish black, but the flight feathers on the wings appear to be silvery-gray beneath, contrasting with the darker wing linings. The adult's head is small in proportion to its body and is red in color with few to no feathers. It also has a relatively short, hooked, ivory colored beak. The irises of the eyes are gray brown; legs and feet are pink skinned, although typically stained white. The eye has a single incomplete row of eyelashes on the upper lid and two rows on the lower lid.