Turkey vultures are common to abundant summer residents across most of the Lower 48 States; throughout the southeastern quadrant of the country, as well as along the California Coast, these scavengers are permanent residents.
Here along the Colorado Front Range, turkey vultures are relatively uncommon and are only present during the warmer months (April to October); come winter, they head for Mexico, South Texas or the Desert Southwest. This morning, I observed two of them soaring above our Littleton farm, the first I have encountered this spring.
Feeding almost exclusively on carrion, turkey vultures take advantage of roadkill and also scavenge the remains of deer and elk killed by predators or storms; they also feast on fish that are stranded by shrinking ponds and reservoirs. Not pretty up close, these birds are among nature's most talented aerialists and certainly play a major role in her recycling system.
Here along the Colorado Front Range, turkey vultures are relatively uncommon and are only present during the warmer months (April to October); come winter, they head for Mexico, South Texas or the Desert Southwest. This morning, I observed two of them soaring above our Littleton farm, the first I have encountered this spring.
Feeding almost exclusively on carrion, turkey vultures take advantage of roadkill and also scavenge the remains of deer and elk killed by predators or storms; they also feast on fish that are stranded by shrinking ponds and reservoirs. Not pretty up close, these birds are among nature's most talented aerialists and certainly play a major role in her recycling system.
