Photo © 2006 Jim Jung All rights reserved.

Turkey Vultures

Very early in the spring the Turkey Vultures begin to arrive in southern Illinois. Couples pair up and find nesting habitat - in our area this is usually a small sandstone overhang - and lay two eggs. After forty days or so they hatch into incongruous white balls of fluff about the size of a small chicken, begin gorging on all the food their parents can bring them and grow rapidly. Within another forty days they fledge - lose their infant fluff and grow true feathers - and begin taking short flights with their newly developed flight feathers. At this point the nest - such as it is - is abandoned and they begin following their parents.

Turkey Vulture, Egg to Fledgeling Gallery of four photos.

Photo © 2006 Jim Jung and licensors. All rights reserved.

In late summer/early fall the first migrating Turkey Vultures begin drifting into our area from the north. Unlike many other species Turkey Vultures have a rather diffuse migration with individuals and groups appearing and departing apparently at random. The big push south for this species won't occur for another two months when large numbers begin to appear at their traditional migration roosts prior to their southerly migration in late October.

Turkey Vultures migrate as far south as Tierra del Fuego - the southern tip of South America - though it's doubtful (although no one actually knows) whether our own local birds range that far south. Still it's a safe bet that at least some of "our" birds winter in the Amazon before heading back north in February.

While most people are apparently repelled by the very word "vulture" these large, friendly, peaceable and sociable birds play a vital role in maintaining the health of the areas they occupy. Vulture digestive tracts are full of powerful enzymes that destroy everything the bird swallows. The remains of those animals that die from disease - even diseases like anthrax and mad cow disease (lately in the news) - are "sterilized" and made safe by the vultures' powerful digestive systems thus cleansing the land of pestilence. Surprisingly these birds are not strict carrion eaters since they also eat surprisingly large amounts of vegetable matter - chiefly grass.

An excellent place to view a migratory vulture roost is the crest of the bluff towering over the village of Makanda, Illinois. Any resident there will be happy to point out the spot to you. And should you happen by during the third weekend of October you can also take in Makanda's Vulturefest - a celebration of the birds' role in our ecosystems and a lot of fun for humans as well.

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