"V" is for Vulture

If you see a BIG black V-shaped bird hovering in the sky, chances are it is a Vulture. Another name for it is Turkey Vulture. Turkey vultures serve a sort of icky, but very important and very necessary purpose in nature. They eat dead animals. Yikes! I know, but my friends, what would be lying all over the ground if Turkey Vultures DIDN'T eat dead animals? That's right, a bunch of dead animals!


Turkey Vultures use winds that blow up the sides of hills. These winds push up their wings so they don't have to use a lot of energy. Their wingspan is WIDE. When the wings are stretched out, they are as wide as a six foot man is tall! The bones of birds are hollow, so the wings are very lightweight.

Turkey Vulture heads are red and they are "bald" with no feathers. Feathers on their heads would get messy from doing what they do. No head feathers is better for them.

Turkey Vultures help get rid of carrion (a fancy name for dead animals). The FIBs come along and help the Turkey Vultures and other carrion eaters. What other animals help them? Do you remember what FIBs stands for? Fungi, Insects, and Bacteria. Have you ever seen a dead animal? What was crawling around on it? Ants? Beetles? Flies? All of these animals and organisms help keep our environment clean and free from disease. They eliminate carrion.

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