EAGLES, HAWKS, AND VULTURES 



67 



BLACK VULTURE 



(^Coragyps atratus atratus) 



The black vulture is distinguished from 

 the turkey buzzard, even at a distance, by 

 its short, square-ended tail, and by the 

 peculiar method of flight in which the 

 wings are flapped rapidly, followed by a 

 short sail with stiffly extended pinions. 

 Large light patches across the ends of the 

 wings form another prominent mark for 

 field identification. 



The black vulture subsists on carrion, 

 and often gathers in greedy hordes that 

 soon leave the bones of large carcasses 

 picked clean. It is active and aggressive, 

 and at its feasts will drive away the 

 meeker-spirited turkey vulture. It is said 

 to kill young chickens, young pigs, and 

 lambs when opportunity offers, so at times 

 it may be quite destructive. 



Occasionally it utters a low, guttural 

 note, quickly repeated, that is barely audi- 

 ble a hundred yards away. 



Because of their scavenger services, 

 these birds are seldom molested and often 

 become so tame as to be almost domestic, 

 coming into towns to feed familiarly with 

 dogs on refuse in the streets and barely 

 moving aside to avoid passing animals 

 or men. 



They often frequent heron and pelican 

 rookeries, where they pick up dead fish be- 

 neath the nests, and also swallow young 

 birds left unprotected. 



The nest is placed on the ground, usu- 

 ally under dense bushes, but occasionally 

 in hollow trees, logs, or recesses beneath 

 bowlders. The eggs rest on leaves or on 

 the bare ground. Where abundant, the 

 birds often breed in colonies. Two eggs 

 constitute the usual set, with one or three 

 found occasionally. The color is light 

 green, spotted rather sparingly with brown 

 and lavender. 



The young when hatched are covered 

 with buff-colored down quite different 

 from the white found in the turkey vul- 

 ture. The nestlings are fed entirely by 

 regurgitation. 



These birds are not known to carry food 

 or any other object, either in the feet or 

 in the bill. 



The black vulture is found from west- 

 ern Texas, southern Illinois, and southern 

 Maryland south into Mexico and Central 

 America, being recorded casually north of 

 its regular range. An allied form is known 

 in South America. 



TURKEY VULTURE 



(Cathartes aura septentrionalis) 



A master of the art of soaring, the tur- 

 key vulture or turkey buzzard wheels in 

 the sky by the hour, turning in lazy circles 

 and spirals, seldom moving the wings ex- 

 cept to adjust them to the air currents 

 through which it moves to maintain its 

 elevation. Although graceful on the wing, 

 when at rest all attractiveness of appear- 

 ance is lost. 



With broad wings folded against its rela- 

 tively slender body, its bare head and its 

 awkward attitude, the buzzard seems un- 

 couth or even repulsive. 



Like other members of the family, it 

 subsists on the bodies of dead creatures, 

 eaten fresh or in advanced stages of de- 

 composition. I have had them come to 

 tear the flesh from the body of a dead 

 bird that I had just skinned, and have 

 found them feasting on putrid flesh. 



WINDLESS DAYS KEEP THE BUZZARD AT 

 HOME 



Turkey vultures by day cover wide areas 

 in search of food, and at night gather to 

 sleep in some tract of woodland, several 

 hundred often congregating in one roost. 

 In early morning they sit with wings ex- 

 panded to catch the warmth of the sun, 

 and on dull, cloudy days, when the air is 

 still, may remain in their roosts through- 

 out the day, as without moving currents 

 of air they find flying difficult. 



The turkey vulture places its nest in 

 some recess beneath large bowlders, in a 

 hollow log or tree, or in sheltered situa- 

 tions beneath shrubs. The handsome eggs, 

 usually two in number, rarely one or three, 

 are creamy white, spotted with brown and 

 lavender. Occasionally one is found with- 

 out markings. 



The young bird when disturbed utters 

 a curious growling, hissing call, like some 

 angry cat, turning its back the while and 

 striking the ground sharply with the tips 

 of its spread wings in a manner that is truly 

 startling. The adult is silent except for a 

 hiss made by expelling its breath from the 

 windpipe. 



The turkey vulture ranges from south- 

 ern British Columbia, Wisconsin, and cen- 

 tral New York south into northern Mex- 

 ico. Closely allied races extend through 

 Cuba and Central and South America to 

 the Falkland Islands. The bird has been 

 introduced into Puerto Rico. 



