NEWS

Mother Nature's clean-up crew returns

Jessica Denton
Reporter

PORT CLINTON – They don't have the beauty or allure of the bald eagle, nor the recognizable cry of a gull, but the return of turkey vultures signifies a "spring cleaning" of sorts of area roads and beaches.

Turkey vultures, or "buzzards" as some call them, are large black birds with a wingspan of about 6 feet. They weigh between 2 and 4 1/2 pounds and about 3 feet long.

A large group of turkey vultures, called a venue, rest on tree limbs in Lacarne last week. The carnivorous birds rely on roadkill and dead fish for their diet, but pose no threat to living animals.

Groups of the birds, called venues, recently have been spotted within Port Clinton city limits, to the east in Marblehead and to the west in Lacarne, foraging for food. These migratory birds are returning from winters in Mexico, Central America and warm, coastal regions of the U.S.

They can be seen as far north as southern Canada and as far south as Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America, making them one of the most recognizable birds in the hemisphere.

At a glance, one might think the birds are bald. But actually, they have a lot of small feathers on their head which is an adaptation to help keep clean when sticking their heads into the guts of a dead animals, their source of food.

A turkey vulture takes a break from hunting to rest on a rooftop on Harrison Street in Port Clinton on a Saturday afternoon.

This bird does a great service as a scavenger or garbage collector, helping to keep roadways and beaches free of carrion, or dead animals. The turkey vulture forages by smell, an ability that is uncommon in the avian world, often flying low to the ground to pick up the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals.

Bailey VanKirk, the owner of Desdemona's Art Gallery in Marblehead, said she's seen turkey vultures on Alexander Pike eating roadkill.

"I spotted a few over the dead part of the quarry across from my house Monday," VanKirk said.

Despite rumors, the intimidating looking birds are not a threat to living animals. They are accustomed to living near humans and snacking off of our leavings. You will often see them in farm fields or hanging out next to the road. However, they are not likely to be in your backyard unless something has died or you have a very large backyard.

Turkey vultures don't have a voice box -- they can't sing or call. Their vocalizations are limited to hisses and grunts.

Turkey vultures can be distinguished from hawks and crows because they soar extensively, holding their large wings up in a broad "V" if viewed head-on. They appear black from a distance but up close are dark brown with a featherless red head and pale bill. They have long "fingers" at their wingtips and long tails that extend past their toe tips in flight.

Turkey vultures squabble over a branch to rest on in Lacarne last week. A large group, called a venue, was resting on a tree before taking off to hunt.

According to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources website, vultures seek out a thermal -- a column of warm, rising air. Using this thermal, the turkey vulture circles upward. Once it has ascended to a considerable height, the turkey vulture can glide away from that thermal, gradually descending until it finds another one.

Turkey vultures spend about one-third of their day soaring, according to ODNR.

The turkey vulture is gregarious, meaning it lives in flocks or loosely organized communities, breaking away to forage independently during the day. At night, vultures often gather in large roosts. Their preferred habitat includes deciduous forests and woodlands.

jdenton@gannett.com

419-734-7506

Twitter: @jessicadentonNH

Fun Facts about Turkey Vultures

  • A flock of vultures on the ground is called a venue.
  • A flock of vultures soaring in the air is called a kettle.
  • The Latin name for turkey vulture, Cathartes aura, means either golden purifier or purifying breeze.
  • Most turkey vulture nests are located on the ground in hollow logs, hollow trees, and dense brushy thickets. These ground nests are invariably placed in undisturbed, extensive woodlands.
  • Despite not building a nest the mother does try to find an out-of-the-way place for her eggs, and both parents take turns incubating and guarding their eggs. Most egg-eating predators find the parents to be more than a little intimidating. However if intimidation doesn't work, the protective parent does its signature move: it vomits on the would-be egg eater.
  • The turkey vulture species receives special legal protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 in the United States,as well as protections in Canada and Mexico.
  • In the U.S. it is illegal to take, kill, or possess turkey vultures, and violation of the law is punishable by a fine of up to $15,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.

Source: www.trekohio.com