How long can vultures soar

Considered common in its range, this bird is afforded no special conservation status. Lays 2 eggs. What type of program are you interested in booking? On-Site Field Study - visit the Chattahoochee Nature Center with your group and participate in a program lead by one of our Naturalists. Outreach Program - Our Naturalists will travel to your location to conduct an environmental education program Virtual Program - meet with a CNC Naturalist via an online platform. First Last. Virtual Field Study — minute virtual program including pre- and post-activities, live meeting and program with Naturalist, and encounter with CNC animal.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Wolter has been following the movements of two other African species, the cape vulture and the white-headed vulture, and found that these animals also seem to go on far-flung walkabouts.

One white-headed vulture she released in South Africa sent its last coordinates from Angola, and seemed to be heading for the Democratic Republic of the Congo when its signal went dark. Both Wolter and Kendall worry that such findings complicate prospects for conserving vultures, because you can't simply set up a protected area and expect the birds to stay put. And that's not just bad news for the birds, it's bad for us.

The scavengers are crucial ecosystem recyclers, and can even neutralize lethal microbes. As vultures eat dead herbivores such as hippos, their stomach acid kills anthrax bacteria that could have been naturally consumed by the animal while it was alive. Anthrax-laced carcasses are dangerous to people because eating the contaminated meat can be lethal. See what it's like to be a vulture's lunch. In , Kendall and colleagues' tagged vultures provided an even more practical purpose: The birds helped point staff in Tanzania's national parks to hippo carcasses during a recent anthrax outbreak.

This allowed the personnel to destroy the carcasses before the bacteria could spread. All rights reserved. The Year of the Bird. Share Tweet Email. Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants. This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city Caracals have learned to hunt around the urban edges of Cape Town, though the predator faces many threats, such as getting hit by cars.

India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country. Go Further. The Turkey Vulture, with its bald red head and dark feathers, was given its common name due to its superficial resemblance to the Wild Turkey.

At close range the naked red heads of the adult turkey vultures resemble those of turkeys, hence the name. Juveniles have pinkish black heads. 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 less than hours old. Groups of perched vultures are called a wake. Imagine them mourning over something with their heads hung down. In the early morning hours you may see turkey vultures sunbathing in a tree with their wings spread out in a horaltic pose.

This is most likely done to increase their body temperature after the cool night. During the hot summer months turkey vultures will defecate on their feet to cool them off.