I finally caught a Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) roosting. I have plenty of distant shots of these birds, but not a good up close pic; even these pics are not as clear as I would have liked. We have two species of vultures year round here in Arkansas-- the Turkey vulture and its smaller, more social cousin, the Black Vulture. Note the naked or featherless head on these birds, which is great when sticking it into dead carcasses. Note also the big nostrils on these guys; they are excellent at smelling the stench of death. The part of the brain used to process odors is very large in vultures.
No comments:
Post a Comment