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BC Conservation Data Centre: Species Summary


Cathartes aura
Turkey Vulture

 
Scientific Name: Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758)
English Name: Turkey Vulture
 
Classification / Taxonomy
Scientific Name - Concept Reference: American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1998. Check-list of North American birds. Seventh edition. American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C. [as modified by subsequent supplements and corrections published in The Auk]. Also available online: http://www.aou.org/.
Classification Level: Species
Species Group: Vertebrate Animal
Species Code: B-TUVU
Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family
Animalia Craniata Aves Cathartiformes Cathartidae
   
Conservation Status / Legal Designation
Global Status: G5 (Apr 2016)
Provincial Status: S4 (Mar 2015)
BC List: Yellow
Provincial FRPA list:   
Provincial Wildlife Act:
COSEWIC Status:
SARA Schedule:
General Status Canada: 4 - Secure (2005)
Migratory Bird Convention Act:
   
Ecology & Life History
General Description:
Global Reproduction Comments: Clutch size is usually 2. Incubation lasts 5-6 weeks, by both sexes. Young first fly at about 9 weeks. Family may stay together several months after young fledge. Does not renest if clutch is lost.
Global Ecology Comments: Roosts singly or in groups. Average distance between communal roost and feeding site was 8 km in Maryland/Pennsylvania (Coleman and Fraser 1987). Mean summer range of two known breeders was 6942 hectares; 90% of locations were within 10 kilometers of roost (Kirk and Mossman 1998). Roosts may be temporary (at a food source), seasonal (spring-fall), or permanent (peak numbers in early winter) (Palmer 1988). Human disturbance and canid predation may be significant causes of nest failure in the eastern U.S. (Coleman and Fraser 1989).
Migration Characteristics:
(Global / Provincial)		 
    Nonmigrant:
    Local Migrant:
    Distant Migrant:
    Within Borders Migrant: 		Y /
Y /
Y /
na /
Global Migration Comments: Generally arrives in northernmost breeding areas in March-April, departs September-November (Bent 1937). Large numbers pass through Panama late February-early April and October-November (Ridgely and Gwynne 1989). Migrants and residents coexist in Panama from Novemnber to April (Smith 1980). Large migratory flocks pass through Costa Rica, mainly over Caribbean lowlands, in both fall (September-October) and spring (late January to mid-May (Stiles and Skutch 1989). Generally avoids crossing wide expanses of water. Has been described as nomadic, rather than migratory, in North America.
Habitats:
(Type / Subtype / Dependence) 		Agriculture / Cultivated Field / Unknown
Agriculture / Hedgerow / Unknown
Agriculture / Pasture/Old Field / Unknown
Forest / Conifer Forest - Dry / Unknown
Forest / Conifer Forest - Mesic (average) / Unknown
Forest / Conifer Forest - Moist/wet / Unknown
Grassland/Shrub / Sagebrush Steppe / Unknown
Ocean / Intertidal Marine / Unknown
Ocean / Marine Island / Unknown
Riparian / Riparian Forest / Unknown
Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Cliff / Unknown
Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Unknown
Rock/Sparsely Vegetated Rock / Talus / Unknown
Global Habitat Comments: Forested and open situations, more commonly in the latter, from lowlands to mountains (AOU 1983). May roost in large flocks at night in trees; roosts often near or over water. In Pennsylvania, selected large conifers for mid-winter roost (Wright et al. 1986).

Eggs are laid in caves (especially in West); on cliffs; in hollow logs, trees, or stumps (tree-cavity nesting formerly more common); on ground in dense shrubbery (especially in eastern U.S.); sometimes in/under abandoned building in woods (Jackson 1983, Palmer 1988); sometimes in abandoned hawk nest (Hilty and Brown 1986). In Pennsylvania/Maryland, nested in areas that were roadless, forested, and undeveloped (Coleman and Fraser 1989).
Food Habits: Carnivore: Adult, Immature
Global Food Habits Comments: Eats mainly vertebrate carrion (domestic animals and wild sources, down to the size of small amphibians; often small mammals); prefers fresh meat. Sometimes eats ripe or rotten fruits. Sometimes kills small animals. Locates food visually and/or by odor. Can survive for over two weeks without food.
Global Phenology: Diurnal: Adult, Immature
Global Phenology Comments: In one study, most left roost 3.5-5 hours after sunrise. May remain at roost up to 2 or more days during rainy weather. (Palmer 1988).
Provincial Phenology:
(1st half of month/
2nd half of month)
Colonial Breeder: N
Length(cm)/width(cm)/Weight(g): 69/ / 1467
Elevation (m) (min / max): Global: 
Provincial: 
   
 
Distribution
Endemic: N
Global Range Comment: BREEDS: southern British Columbia to southern Manitoba and New England, south through U.S. and Middle America to South America and Greater Antilles (introduced in Puerto Rico). Recently has expanded range in the northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada. NORTHERN WINTER: mainly from northern California, Arizona, Nebraska, Ohio Valley, and Maryland south. Winter concentrations occur Texas, Florida, and along the Wabash River in Indiana (Root 1988).
 
Authors / Contributors
Global Information Author: Hammerson, G.
Last Updated: Mar 29, 1995
Provincial Information Author:
Last Updated:
   
References and Related Literature
American Ornithologists' Union (AOU). 1983. Check-list of North American Birds, 6th edition. Allen Press, Inc., Lawrence, Kansas. 877 pp.
Bent, A.C. 1937. Life histories of North American birds of prey. Part 1. Bull. U.S. Natl. Mus. 137. 409 pp.
Campbell, R.W., N.K. Dawe, I.McT. Cowan, J.M. Cooper, G. Kaiser, and M.C.E. McNall. 1990. The Birds of British Columbia, Vol. 1. Nonpasserines: Introduction, Loons through Waterfowl. Royal B.C. Mus. in association with Environ. Can., Can. Wildl. Serv. 514pp.
Coleman, J. S., and J. D. Fraser. 1987. Food habits of black and turkey vultures in Pennsylvania and Maryland. J. Wildl. Manage. 51:733-739.
Coleman, J. S., and J. D. Fraser. 1989. Habitat use and home ranges of black and turkey vultures. Journal of Wildlife Management 53:782-792.
Demarchi, M.W. and M.D. Bently. 2005. Best Management Practices for Raptor Conservation during Urban and Rural Land Development in British Columbia. B.C. Minist. of Environ., Victoria, B.C. MoE BMP Series.
Ehrlich, P. R., D. S. Dobkin, and D. Wheye. 1992. Birds in Jeopardy: the Imperiled and Extinct Birds of the United States and Canada, Including Hawaii and Puerto Rico. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California. 259 pp.
Forest Practices Code. 1997. Turkey Vulture in Species and Plant Community Accounts for Identified Wildlife: Vol. 1. B.C. Minist. For. and B.C. Environ. 184pp.
Hilty, S.L. and W. L. Brown. 1986. A Guide to the Birds of Colombia. Princeton University Press, Princeton, USA. 836 pp.
Jackson, J. A. 1983. Nesting phenology, nest site selection, and reproductive success of black and turkey vultures. Pages 245-270 in Wilbur, S. R., and J. A. Jackson,eds. Vulture biology and management. Univ. Calif. Press.
Keast, A., and E.S. Morton. 1980. Migrant birds in the neotropics: ecology, distribution, and conservation. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.
Kirk, D. A., and M. J. Mossman. 1998. Turkey Vulture (CATHARTES AURA). No. 339 IN A. Poole and F. Gill, editors. The birds of North America. The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
Kirk, D. A., D. Hussell, and E. Dunn. 1995. Raptor population status and trends in Canada. Bird Trends (Canadian Wildlife Service) 4:2-9.
Palmer, R. S., editor. 1988a. Handbook of North American birds. Vol. 4. [Diurnal raptors, part 1]. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. vii + 433 pp.
Pendleton, B. A. G., B. A. Millsap, K. W. Cline, and D. M. Bird. 1987. Raptor management techniques manual. National Wildlife Federation, Sci. and Tech. Ser. No. 10. 420 pp.
Raffaele, H. A. 1983a. A guide to the birds of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Fondo Educativo Interamericano, San Juan, Puerto Rico. 255 pp.
Ridgely, R. S., and J. A. Gwynne, Jr. 1989. A guide to the birds of Panama with Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Second edition. Princeton Univ. Press, Princeton, New Jersey. 534 pp.
Root, T. 1988. Atlas of wintering North American birds: An analysis of Christmas Bird Count data. University of Chicago Press. 336 pp.
Smith, N. G. 1980. Hawk and vulture migration in the Neotropics. Pages 51-65 in B80KEA02NAUS.
Stiles, F. G. and A. F. Skutch. 1989. A guide to the birds of Costa Rica. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, USA. 511 pp.
Terres, J. K. 1980. The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.
Wallace, M. P., and S. A. Temple. 1983. An evaluation of techniques for releasing hand-reared vultures to the wild. Pp. 400-423 in Wilbur, S. R., and J. A. Jackson, eds. Vulture biology and management. Univ. California Press.
Wilbur, S. R. 1983. The status of vultures in the western hemisphere. Pages 113-123 in Wilbur, S. R., and J. A. Jackson, eds. Vulture biology and management. Univ. California Press, Berkeley.
Wilbur, S. R., and J. A. Jackson, eds. 1983. Vulture biology and management. Univ. California Press, Berkeley. xxii + 550 pp.
Wright, A. L., R. H. Yahner, and G. L. Storm. 1986. Roost-tree characterisitics and abundance of wintering vultures at a communal roost in south central Pennsylvania. Raptor Research 20(3/4):102-107.
 

Please visit the website Conservation Status Ranks for definitions of the data fields used in this summary report.

Suggested Citation:

B.C. Conservation Data Centre. 1995. Species Summary: Cathartes aura. B.C. Minist. of Environment. Available: https://a100.gov.bc.ca/pub/eswp/ (accessed Sep 24, 2026).