Turkey Vulture: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Wild Mix · day 3 of 7

Five facts

1. Few birds find food by smell, but this one does. The smell centre of its brain is extra large, so it can sniff out meals hidden under trees.
2. It glides with its wings held in a shallow V, wobbling from side to side. It hardly ever flaps, riding rising warm air instead.
3. After a rainy night it often stands with wings spread wide. This pose dries its feathers, warms its body and helps bake off germs.
4. Don't expect a song: it lacks the voice box songbirds use, so all it can manage is hisses and grunts.
5. At night it lets its body cool by about 6 °C, down to 34 °C, so it sleeps slightly chilled.

The quiz

1. Which sense does the turkey vulture use to find food, unusually for a bird?

• Hearing
• Touch
• Smell (correct)
• Taste

It forages by smell, which few birds can do.

2. How does a turkey vulture hold its wings while soaring?

• Flat and perfectly still
• In a shallow V, tipping side to side (correct)
• Folded tight against its body
• Flapping fast like a hummingbird

It soars with wings in a shallow V and often tips from side to side.

3. Why does it stand with its wings spread wide?

• To dry and warm up (correct)
• To scare off eagles
• To attract a partner
• To catch insects

The pose dries the wings, warms the body and bakes off germs.

4. What sounds can a turkey vulture make?

• Loud whistled songs
• Hooting calls like an owl
• Copies of other birds
• Only hisses and grunts (correct)

With no syrinx, it can only hiss and grunt.

5. What happens to its body temperature at night?

• It rises by about 6 °C
• It drops by about 6 °C (correct)
• It stays exactly the same
• It drops to freezing

At night it cools down by about 6 °C, to 34 °C.

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