(Cathartes aura)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Biology • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status |
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IUCN Red List | LC - Least Concern |
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NatureServe | N5B, N5N - Secure Breeding and Nonbreeding SNRB - Unranked Breeding |
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Minnesota | not listed |
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Description |
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The head is bare and red. The wings are all black. |
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Size |
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26″ to 32″in length 66″ to 72″ wingspan |
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Voice |
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Silent |
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Similar Species |
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Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) has a gray head and silvery tips on its wings. It is a rare visitor to Minnesota. | ||
Habitat |
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Flies over open country, shorelines, roads; rarely forests. |
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Biology |
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Migration |
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April to May and September to November |
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Nesting |
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Food |
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Carion |
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Distribution |
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Occurrence |
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Uncommon to common migrant and breeder |
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Maps |
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The Minnesota Ornithologists’ Union All Seasons Species Occurrence Map |
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Taxonomy |
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Class | Aves (birds) | ||
Order |
Accipitriformes (hawks, eagles, kites, and allies) | ||
Family |
Cathartidae (American vultures and New World vultures) | ||
Genus |
Cathartes (Turkey and Yellow-headed Vultures) | ||
Subordinate Taxa |
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Chilean Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura jota) Eastern Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura septentrionalis) Tropical Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura ruficollis) Western Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura aura) |
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Synonyms |
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Visitor Photos |
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Christa Rittberg |
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Dan W. Andree |
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Turkey Vulture's.... |
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Kirk Nelson |
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I was about 20 feet away and watched this vulture for a couple minutes before it flew away. I have seen them flying along the river now and again, but this is the first time I’ve seen one on the ground here. | ![]() |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos |
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Slideshows |
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Turkey Vulture Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren |
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Turkey Vulture Ed McVicker |
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Turkey Vulture JMC Nature Photos |
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Turkey Vultures Craig A. Mullenbach |
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Visitor Videos |
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Share your video of this bird. |
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Kirk Nelson |
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Turkey vulture near Ford Dam 2019 07 13 Published on Jul 14, 2019 |
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About
I've seen them flying along the river, but this is the first time I've seen one on the ground here. I was about 20 feet away and watched it for a couple minutes before it flew away. |
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Cannon River Wilderness Area_Turkey Vultures Published on April 29, 2014 |
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About
Turkey vultures soaring on the winds above the Cannon River Wilderness Area near Faribault, MN. |
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Other Videos |
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Cool Critters: Turkey Vultures - KQED QUEST KQED |
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About
Uploaded on Jun 24, 2009 QUEST visits the Lindsay Wildlife Museum and talks to an expert about Turkey Vultures. |
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Black turkey vultures invade town CNN |
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About
Published on Jan 3, 2012 Residents are sick of their new neighbors, hundreds of black turkey vultures who have invaded their neighborhood. |
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Turkey vultures! capecast |
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About
Uploaded on Oct 28, 2009 On today's CapeCast: We salute the "Bird of Death," the turkey vulture and find out what they're up to on Cape Cod. |
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Turkey Vulture JCVdude |
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About
Uploaded on Jan 12, 2011 The Turkey Vulture's head, like its namesake, is bald and red. 25 to 32 inches long, with a wingspan around 6 feet. Healthy adult Turkey Vultures weigh approximately 6 pounds. Vultures are large, carrion-eating birds. For years, it was believed that all vultures were raptors, members of the order Falconiformes. In 1994, however, it was discovered that the vultures inhabiting the American continents share a common ancestor with storks and ibises. Now, American vultures, or New World vultures, are recognized as Ciconiiformes, in the family Cathartidae. Music: Rise of the Titans by Butterfly Tea http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/fr/ |
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Visitor Sightings |
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Report a sighting of this bird. |
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This button not working for you? Simply email us at info@MinnesotaSeasons.com. Be sure to include a location. |
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Jose 9/25/2022 |
Location: Maple Grove, MN I think it was a vulture, the head was red, larger than a crow and smaller than a turkey. It was more interested in the road kill than me approaching in the car. I stopped and it did fly away. |
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John Valo 9/26/2022 |
If the head is red, then it is a Turkey Vulture, not a Black Vulture. |
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Bill Reynolds |
Location: Pennington County Two Turkey Vulture slow soaring above my place in NW Pennington county on a northly course. |
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Daniel Duggan 5/4/2021 |
Location: 120th St. W. Rosemount, MN Eating a small dead animal on the side of the road. The bird took flight when my car approached and perched in nearby tree on the Lebanon Hills Park side of the road. |
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Ken N. 9/9/2020 |
Location: Entrance to Northbound Hwy 52 at 80th st. Inver Grove Hts. Mn. Feeding on small carcass roadside |
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John 5/11/2020 |
Location: Victoria, Eastern Carver County, south shore Lake Minnetonka nesting pair |
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Dan W. Andree 9/30/2019 |
Location: rural Norman Co. MN |
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Kirk Nelson 8/17/2019 |
Location: Upper Landing Park, St. Paul Saw a turkey vulture flying over the Mississippi River near downtown St Paul, then watched it swoop down and land on the riverbank, just out of view. I’m guessing it was after a dead fish. It flew off before I got closer to take a photo. |
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Dan W. Andree 7/27/2019 |
Location: rural Norman Co. MN |
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Kirk Nelson 7/13/2019 |
Location: Just south of the Ford Dam in St. Paul I was about 20 feet away and watched this vulture for a couple minutes before it flew away. I have seen them flying along the river now and again, but this is the first time I’ve seen one on the ground here. |
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Esther 6/17/2019 |
Location: Minnehaha Park I saw about 8 flying, and wondered if young are going on familial test flights, or if there’s something yummy in the woods. |
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Sandy Sedivy 9/19/2018 |
Location: west side of Otter Tail Lake on Co Hiway 145 in Otter Tail County I stopped at the Corner Store and saw about 40-50 turkey vultures traveling toward me from the north. It was very windy, and many simply soared above me in no apparent hurry. I was able to video some of it on my mobile phone. |
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Friendleen 9/12/2018 |
Location: Osseo, Minnesota I was outside at about 8:30 AM and something huge caught my eye circling slowly overhead, just above the tree tops. It was a turkey vulture! It flew slowly and gracefully, looking at the ground the entire time. I feared it was looking for my chipmunk, Chippie, but thankfully saw Chippie later in the day, safe and sound. |
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Camille Sabie 8/17/2018 |
Location: Pipestone Pipestone has a around a dozen birds that hang around the railroad tracks at the south side of town. We’ve seen them around here for at least the last ten years. |
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Scott Cole 4/1/2018 |
Location: Mankato, West Returned to roosting trees today at about 5:15 pm. Carney and Moreland! |
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Tim Gibson 6/27/2017 (7 am) |
Location: St. Cloud, MN 56301 Feeding on unidentified carrion along with several crows in small parking lot on corner of 8th Street and 18th Ave South |
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ML 1201 4/26/2017 |
Location: Oakdale One spotted very low in the afternoon in the swamp areas near Walton park. |
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R A Marsh 4/8/2017 |
Location: Faribault MN Eleven very large birds riding thermals this afternoon over Willow St. in Faribault near the river. |
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Scott Cole 4/1/2017 |
Location: NW corner Carney Ave. and Moreland Street This evening the vultures returned to their roosting tree. The first 8 roosted this evening. They began to land around 7:30 PM. |
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4/2/2017 | As of now, there are 34 vultures. They are split between two trees. |
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Gloria Broker 8/1/2016 |
Location: Duluth, MN It landed on a birch tree in my yard and spread its wings. When it did, my dog barked and scared it away. |
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Chet 6/26/2016 |
Location: Glendorado, MN |
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Georgeanne Schulz 6/13/2016 |
Location: morristown mn |
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Kathy 5/24/2016 |
Location: 7 miles north of Underwood Pair sitting on our barn with wings spread. |
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Bill 4/7/2016 |
Location: Rockford, Mn Flock of about 20 vultures flying over the town at dusk. |
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Mary Kae 4/1/2016 |
Location: Eagan Seen in the city in a wooded area |
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Scott Cole 9/27/2015 |
Location: West Mankato near intersection of Carney Ave. and Moreland Street A large number (at least 40) nest in the trees near our home. Fly out in the morning and return between 5:30 and 6:30 pm. They are here Spring into Fall. The general pattern is to fly east in the morning and return evenings. |
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Kirk Nelson 4/29/2014 |
Turkey vultures riding the wind, April 2014 |
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MinnesotaSeasons.com Sightings |
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Badoura Jack Pine Woodland SNA Cannon River Turtle Preserve SNA Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center Carver Highlands WMA, South Unit Charles A. Lindbergh State Park Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park John Peter Hoffman Spring Brook Valley WMA Kellogg Weaver Dunes SNA, Kellogg Weaver Unit Margherita Preserve-Audubon Prairie Mary Schmidt Crawford Woods SNA Minnesota Valley NWR, Rapids Lake Unit Minnesota Valley NWR, Wilkie Unit Mound Spring Prairie SNA, North Unit Pankratz Memorial Prairie, North Unit Pembina Trail Preserve SNA, Crookston Prairie Unit Prairie Creek WMA, Koester Prairie Unit Stanley Eddy Memorial Park Reserve Two Rivers Aspen Prairie Parkland SNA |
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