With their ominous presence circling high overhead, turkey vultures are a bird that often gets a bad rap. Their reputation as scavengers feasting on dead carcasses adds to public misconceptions. But do turkey vultures, also known as turkey buzzards, ever attack and eat live animals? Or are they strictly scavengers?
The Role of the Turkey Vulture
Turkey vultures play a crucial ecological role as nature’s clean-up crew As scavengers, their diet consists mainly of dead animals By consuming carcasses, turkey vultures help limit the spread of diseases like anthrax and rabies that could otherwise thrive.
A turkey vulture’s body is specially adapted for finding and eating carrion
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Soaring high in the skies allows them to spot carcasses from up to a mile away.
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An incredible sense of smell–the best of any bird–lets them detect gasses from decaying meat
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Bald, featherless heads stay clean when feasting inside rotting carcasses.
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Strong immune systems protect them from bacteria and parasites on decaying flesh.
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Vomit defensive smelling vomit when threatened.
Overall, the turkey vulture is a highly specialized scavenger, not a hunter or killer.
Typical Turkey Vulture Diet
The turkey vulture’s diet consists primarily of carrion–the carcasses of dead animals. Typical food items include:
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Carrion from medium and large mammals like deer, cattle, and horses.
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Carcasses of small mammals, reptiles, amphibians.
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Dead fish washed up on shores.
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Scraps and refuse at landfills.
Turkey vultures have weak feet and talons compared to birds of prey. They cannot carry heavy carcasses or subdue large struggling animals. Instead, they rely on scavenging remains.
Rare Cases of Killing Live Prey
While turkey vultures eat mostly dead and decaying meat, there are some documented cases of them attacking vulnerable living animals:
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Newborn livestock like calves, lambs, and kids separated from mothers.
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Small pets allowed to roam loose outside, like cats, rabbits, or small dogs.
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Turtles—vultures flip them over and peck at the exposed soft belly.
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Baby birds fallen from nests or injured adults with limited mobility.
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Small rodents like mice, rats, and squirrels.
In these cases, the vultures capitalize on easy prey that cannot adequately defend itself. But they do not actively hunt down healthy, mature animals.
Why Turkey Vultures Sometimes Eat Live Prey
Several factors may compel turkey vultures to supplement their diet with live prey on occasion:
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Vulnerable babies and injured adults represent easy meals requiring minimal effort.
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Limited carrion availability during certain seasons may lead them to opportunistically grab live prey.
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Young vultures may kill small prey to practice hunting skills needed to scavenge efficiently as adults.
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mobbing behaviors where groups of vultures may overwhelm and kill an animal through sheer numbers.
So while their primary food source is scavenging, turkey vultures are adaptable and will eat vulnerable living prey in some situations.
Risks to Pets and Livestock
The risks turkey vultures pose to most livestock and pets are relatively low. But it is wise to take precautions with vulnerable animals:
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Supervise vulnerable newborn livestock closely for the first few days of life.
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Use enclosures and housing to protect smaller pets and newborns.
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Deter vultures from approaching areas with scare devices and repellents.
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Promptly remove any dead carcasses that could attract vultures.
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Keep sick or injured animals safely confined when possible.
With smart management, the threat turkey vultures may occasional pose to small or helpless animals can be minimized.
Focus on Carrion Remains Turkey Vultures’ Primary Food
While turkey vultures will opportunistically eat live prey on rare occasions, the bulk of their diet still consists of dead and decaying remains. A few isolated cases of attacking vulnerable animals do not make them accomplished predators.
Some key points about their feeding behaviors:
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Lack killing adaptations like sharp talons and curved beaks that birds of prey use.
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Soaring flight pattern optimized for scanning the landscape to find carrion, not live animals.
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Sense of smell adapted specifically for finding gases emitted by decaying flesh.
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Light bodies and wingspans ideal for soaring long distances between sporadic carcass sites, not chasing down prey.
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Immune systems tailored for safely digesting rotting meat, not fresh kills.
Overall, every aspect of the turkey vulture’s biology focuses on scavenging carrion remains safely and efficiently. They play a vital role in the ecosystem as nature’s clean-up crew. While they may nibble on helpless prey once in awhile, turkey vultures should be respected for their importance as scavengers.
15 Interesting Facts About Turkey Vultures
>> The turkey vulture is related to the stork, not to any birds of prey.
>> Their scientific name in Latin means “cleansing breeze.”
>> Like all other vultures, the turkey vulture has a bald head. This is so that bits of carrion (dead meat) do not adhere to the skin as they would to feathers. At close range the naked red heads of the adult turkey vultures resemble those of turkeys, hence the name.
>> Turkey vultures are the only scavenger birds that can’t kill their prey.
>> A close inspection of their feet reminds one of a chicken instead of a hawk or an eagle. Their feet are useless for ripping into prey, but the vultures have powerful beaks that can tear through even the toughest cow hide.
>> They feed by thrusting their heads into the body cavities of rotting animals.
>> Turkey vultures have an extraordinary sense of smell. They have been known to be able to smell carrion from over a mile away, which is very unique in the bird world. The turkey vulture has the largest olfactory (smelling) system of all birds.
>> Vultures prefer meat as fresh as possible and won’t eat extremely rotted carcasses. They can smell carrion only 12-24 hours old.
>> In the early morning hours you may see turkey vultures sunbathing in a tree with their wings spread out. This is done to increase their body temperature after the cool night.
>> When you see turkey vultures swarming around in a cluster in the early morning hours of early spring or fall, they are preparing to continue on their migration. Vultures seen in the evening hours have probably arrived in the area that day and are preparing to roost for the night.
>> Researchers have determined that turkey vultures can travel at up to 200 miles in a day.
>> Turkey vultures average 2 1/2 feet tall with a 6 foot wingspan. In spite of their large size, they only weigh about 3 pounds.
>> People will often mistakenly call turkey vultures, buzzards, which is the British name for certain hawks.
>> Turkey vultures have been known to live up to 24 years. The average age is estimated to be around 20 years.
>> Vultures help clean up the environment by eating the flesh off dead animals before it rots and causes disease.
Wingspan 6 feet; length, 27 inches. Brownish/black body, the featherless head is black in immature birds, red in adults. Wings are held in a V when soaring, unlike eagles which hold their wings straight out. Birds rock or appear unsteady in flight.
Southern Canada through South America. Migrates to the southern U.S. in the winter.
Open country, roosts in large congregations in secluded woods.
Usually on the ground under cover, sometimes in caves. Lays 2 eggs.
Turkey vultures feed on carrion, which they locate by smell or possibly vision. They are often seen feeding in groups on large items but will eat almost anything.
Considered common in its range, this bird is afforded no special conservation status.
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The Three P’s of Turkey Vultures
FAQ
Will turkey vultures eat live animals?
Do turkey buzzards only eat dead animals?
Will turkey vultures attack dogs?
Are turkey buzzards good for anything?
Do turkey vultures eat dead animals?
Vultures are very specialized. They eat dead animals and they are very good at it. But they generally don’t hunt them. They are very good at finding dead animals. A Turkey Vulture has one of the most amazing senses of smell in the animal world. They can smell a rotting carcass from thousands of feet in the air.
What do turkey vultures eat?
Turkey vultures are scavengers, meaning they predominantly eat carrion – the carcasses of dead animals. Their diet consists mainly of these carcasses and they rarely hunt or kill live prey themselves. Some key facts about the turkey vulture’s diet and hunting behaviors: Feed mostly on the carcasses of dead mammals and birds.
Do turkey vultures attack living prey?
Unlike their Black Vulture relatives, Turkey Vultures almost never attack living prey. Turkey Vultures nest in rock crevices, caves, ledges, thickets, mammal burrows and hollow logs, fallen trees, abandoned hawk or heron nests, and abandoned buildings.
Why do turkey vultures eat softer parts?
When Turkey Vultures detect food, they fly down to inspect the situation, and if the animal is dead, the vulture will start to peck at and eat softer parts.