Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) are widespread birds across the Americas, known for their role as natural scavengers. They fulfill an important ecological function as nature’s clean-up crew. Their presence in an area is primarily driven by food availability, which they locate through highly developed senses.
The Irresistible Allure of Decay
Turkey vultures are primarily attracted to carrion, the decaying flesh of dead animals. They feed almost exclusively on this food, playing a significant role in preventing disease spread by consuming carcasses. They are opportunists, consuming a wide range of animal types and sizes, from small mammals to large grazers. However, they prefer recently dead or mildly decayed carrion.
They avoid highly putrefied carcasses, preferring relatively fresh meat. They often locate carrion that has been dead for one to three days, as this is when decomposition begins to release specific odors they can detect. Turkey vultures possess weak feet and beaks for tearing tough hides, so they often wait for decomposition to soften the skin of larger animals before feeding. They can consume up to two pounds of carrion in a single meal.
Sensing the Feast: Smell and Sight
Turkey vultures locate food through exceptional sensory capabilities, particularly their acute sense of smell. Unlike most bird species, they have a highly developed olfactory system. They are adept at detecting the gas ethyl mercaptan, a byproduct of the initial stages of decomposition in dead animals.
This keen sense of smell allows them to detect carrion up to five miles away. They can even locate hidden or buried carcasses by following the odor, demonstrating reliance on scent over sight in some scenarios. Other vulture species, such as the Black Vulture, lack this strong sense of smell and often follow turkey vultures to food sources. Their large olfactory lobe, which processes smells, evidences this specialized adaptation.
While their sense of smell is highly specialized, turkey vultures also possess keen eyesight. They can spot carcasses from high altitudes, especially those in open areas. They often combine both senses, using smell to narrow a search area and then sight to pinpoint the carrion’s exact location. When foraging by scent, they fly lower to the ground to better pick up odor plumes.
Other Factors: Habitat and Roosting
Beyond carrion, other environmental factors attract turkey vultures. They favor open and semi-open habitats for foraging, such as grasslands, pastures, deserts, and roadsides, to scan for food. Their habitat requirements also include suitable locations for resting and nesting.
Turkey vultures require tall trees, particularly dead or leafless ones, cliffs, caves, hollow logs, or abandoned buildings for communal roosting and nesting. They do not construct elaborate nests, instead laying eggs on bare surfaces within these protected sites. Human-made structures like communication towers or water towers can also serve as roosting sites. A reliable water source nearby can also be an attractant, as these birds bathe after feeding.
Turkey vultures are social birds, often roosting in large community groups, sometimes alongside Black Vultures. When circling high in groups, this behavior is called “kettling.” Kettling can indicate a thermal updraft that aids their soaring flight, or it can signal a food source that has attracted multiple individuals.