Vultures are widely recognized as nature’s clean-up crew, fulfilling a unique role as scavengers in ecosystems worldwide. Their reproductive habits often lead to misconceptions about their nesting behavior. Unlike many large birds of prey that construct bulky stick nests, most vulture species, particularly New World vultures like the Turkey and Black Vultures, do not engage in true nest construction, instead relying on finding naturally secure and concealed locations to lay their eggs and raise their young.
The Vulture’s Nesting Location
Vultures do not build the elaborate, woven structures typically associated with avian nesting. They select a pre-existing sheltered area, often utilizing a natural depression or a scrape on the ground. This location is valued for its safety, concealment, and protection from the elements.
These birds commonly seek out dark, secluded spaces such as deep rock crevices, the sheltered floors of caves, or cavities within large, hollow logs or fallen trees. Black Vultures frequently use abandoned buildings, thickets, brush piles, or the dark corners of unused barns for their breeding site. Turkey Vultures also favor these natural cavities and may occasionally lay their eggs in the abandoned platform nests of other large birds, often reusing the same secure site for many breeding seasons.
Raising the Young Eggs and Incubation
The reproductive cycle centers on the eggs, which are laid directly onto the bare substrate of the chosen site, with little to no added material. Most New World vultures lay a small clutch, typically consisting of one or two eggs, though Black Vultures may lay three. The eggs are large and often have a creamy-white or pale background color, marked with spots or blotches of brown, purple, or gray.
The incubation period is lengthy, reflecting the slow developmental pace of these large birds. For Turkey Vultures, incubation lasts 28 to 40 days, while Black Vultures typically incubate for 38 to 39 days. Both the male and female vulture share the duties of incubation equally, alternating shifts to ensure the eggs are continuously warmed.
Parental Duties and Chick Development
Once the chick hatches, covered in a dense coat of buffy-white down, it is completely dependent on its parents for sustenance. The method of feeding is distinct, involving the regurgitation of carrion directly from the parent’s crop into the chick’s mouth. For the first couple of weeks, the parents provide a more liquefied diet, transitioning to larger pieces of solid food as the nestling matures.
The parental care is intensive and extended, with the adults being protective of the nest site and young. The nestling period is notably long; Black Vulture chicks remain in the nesting area for 75 to 80 days before taking their first flight. Turkey Vultures have a similar nestling period, ranging from 60 to 84 days. Even after fledging, juveniles remain dependent on the adults for food for several months as they learn to forage and become fully independent.