BOTW 8/23 - 8/27

turkey?

Hello everyone!

So imagine this: you are driving along with a friend/family member/significant other and they look up and see a giant bird in the sky. They immediately exclaim: “Wow, look at that giant eagle/hawk/condor!” Being the expert birder you are (after reading so many of these emails) you look up, notice the V-shape of the soaring bird and gently tell your car-mate: “No, beloved friend/family member/significant other, that’s not any of those…”

This week’s bird is the: Turkey Vulture (the bird featured in the above story)

Fact 1) Not a turkey. Not related. Also not from Turkey 🇹🇷

Fact 2) Has the most attractive head in the animal kingdom. I mean c’mon - birds have evolved to be the most stunning creatures on earth and this species gets a head like this. Tough break.

Fact 3) These crazy creatures can smell like no other. They can smell from a long way off (and from high up). They use that sense to - you guessed it - find stinky + dead food.

Fact 4) These birds do well when there are a lot of animals around (and dying). Populations increased during the Bison kill-offs of the 19th century and, more recently, during the explosion of white-tailed deer in the Northeast.

Fact 5) Bet you never thought about this: these birds are natural disinfectants. They kill most of the diseases carried by dead animals during digestion, naturally cleaning the earth. Wow.

A turkey vulture in disguise.

Have a wonderful and bird-filled week!