Fifty Birds of Town and City
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
"What a lovely child of God it is, soarin' up there," said Fr. Hogan in
the novel "Children of Hunger." And he added, "Of course, down on the
ground it's a buzzard. Lots of things in the world seem to be like that."
Thus, a fictional view of the turkey vulture and the less widespread black
vulture. The turkey vulture summers up into Canada and permanently ranges the
southern United States. It is a common sight along roadsides and sometimes above
cities. These common carrion eaters are natural scavengers, and highly useful ones,
but they are a little hard to admire except at a distance. A large bird, the turkey vulture often more
than 30 inches long and with great wingspread, they don't need to be fed. Our
driving habits and our careless disposal of garbage generally provide plenty of food for
them.
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