The turkey vulture is one of three species in the genus Cathartes of the family Cathartidae. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures, and deserts. It is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion. Each year it generally raises two chicks, which it feeds by regurgitation.
About Turkey vulture in brief
The turkey vulture is one of three species in the genus Cathartes of the family Cathartidae. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures, and deserts. It is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion. It nests in caves, hollow trees, or thickets. Each year it generally raises two chicks, which it feeds by regurgitation. It has very few natural predators. In the United States, the vulture receives legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. There are five subspecies: A large bird, it has a wingspan of 160–183 cm, a length of 62–81 cm, and weight of 0. 8 to 2. 41 kg. Birds in the northern limit of the species’ range from the neotropics averaged 2 and 130 birds from the southernmost tip of South America were found to be 1. 22 and 1. 45 kg respectively. It displays minimal sexual dimorphism; sexes are identical in plumage and are similar in size and color. The adult’s head is small in proportion to its body and is red in color with few feathers. The irises of the eyes are gray-brown, although the legs are mostly gray-skinned. It also has a relatively short, hooked, ivory-colored, hooked eyes, although it also has relatively short and hooked, Ivory-colored eyes. The bird has a small proportion of the proportion of its body to its proportion of pink-skinned legs; it is mostly red-skinned, although its legs are gray in color, although they are mostly brown-skinned and gray-colored.
It roosts in large community groups. It uses thermals to move through the air, flapping its wings infrequently. The name ‘vulture’ is derived from the Latin word vulturus, meaning ‘tearer’, and is a reference to its feeding habits. The vulture was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus as Vultur aura in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae, and characterised as ‘Vultur fuscogriseus, remigibus nigris, rostro albo’ It is not closely related to the Old World vultures of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The two groups strongly resemble each other because of convergent evolution; natural selection often leads to similar body plans in animals that adapt independently to the same conditions. Some earlier authorities suggested that the New World vULTures were more closelyrelated to storks. However, recent genetic studies indicate that neither New World nor Old World Vultures are close to falcons, nor are New WorldVultures close to stork. Both are basal members of the clade Afroaves, with Old Worldvultures comprising several groups within the family Accipitridae, also containing eagles, kites, and hawks.
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This page is based on the article Turkey vulture published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 02, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
