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Vultures
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Length: 64 cm (26 inches)
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Wingspan: 54 inches
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Coloration: Black feathers, feet and face, with a grey
beak and brown eyes.
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Diet: Carrion, occasionally taking small animals, eggs
and down fruit.
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Physical Discription: A typical vulture, with featherless
head, large strong feet with toe nails not talons, and
a strong hooked beak for tearing flesh.
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Vultures, also known as buzzards, are scavenging birds which feed
on the remains of dead animals. Two species of vultures are found
in North Carolina, the Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, and the Black
Vulture, Coragyps atratus. The black vulture is more common in eastern
North Carolina while the turkey vulture is more common in the mountains
and the Piedmont.The black vulture is a large black bird with a wingspan
of 4 1/2 to 5 feet. It has a rather short tail and can be easily identified
in flight by the presence of a conspicuous white patch underneath
each wing tip. It differs in appearance from the turkey vulture primarily
by it slightly smaller size, the white wing patches, and the very
noticeable bare head which is black in coloration, in stark contrast
to the red head of the turkey vulture. Young turkey vultures have
a black head and may be confused with adult black vultures. The black
vulture has rather weak feet with blunt talons. The beak is long and
hooked, an adaptation for tearing flesh. In flight, the black vulture
flaps its wings more frequently and rapidly than the turkey vulture.
The black vulture also holds its wings out straighter, rather than
in a shallow "V" like the turkey vulture. |
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| Bird rescue & bird adoption;
parrot refuge/rescue & placement for unwanted birds. |
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| Check out our list of local
birds broken down by your state and different types of
species. |
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| Migrating birds stay on track
because of chemical reactions in their bodies that are
influenced by the Earth's magnetic field... |
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Part
I
November
19, 2004