By Rich Wicks | Times Vedette
Turkey vultures have been a frequent topic lately in and around Guthrie Center, so it’s a good time to share basic information about the birds and their habits. Information in this article was gathered from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) website and from local DNR Officer Jeremy King.
Turkey vultures were named for their resemblance to wild turkeys, since the featherless red head is visually similar to a tom turkey. Adult turkey vultures generally weigh from 3 to 5 pounds, and their wingspan may reach 6 feet.
Because turkey vultures are scavengers, they are often seen gliding aloft in large circles as they look and smell for carcasses. Unlike most birds, which have little sense of smell, turkey vultures have developed a strong sense of smell. This is so keen that natural gas companies have utilized the turkey vulture’s powerful olfactory sense to detect leaks in underground pipelines. After adding a “carrion-like scent” to their naturally odorless product, workers watch the skies as gathering vultures point the way to defective lines.
Jeremy King explained that over the past 50 years, Iowa has experienced an increase in turkey vultures. He said Iowa has also seen a recent increase in black vultures, which do not have the red head. The black vultures’ territory has historically been in the Texas/Oklahoma area.
“Most of the problem that the city is seeing is from the turkey vultures, not the black vultures,” King said.
Local residents have voiced two main concerns in relation to the turkey vultures. The first is that turkey vultures might prey on pets or other live animals. According to King, that concern is not realistic.
“I’ve never heard of that in 20-plus years of doing this job,” King said. “I’ve never heard of them actually taking a live animal, so I don’t think that’s a concern of anybody.”
The second area of concern centers on the bird droppings.
“They’re colony roosters, so they like to roost in groups,” King said. “And their droppings are very acidic because the stomach acid that they have to break down all the nasty stuff that they eat is very strong, so the droppings coming out also carry that strong acidic value to it. So, it can damage paint on cars. It can stain sidewalks or roofs.”
Fortunately, there is a simple way to discourage turkey vultures from being regular visitors to an area. King suggested that if turkey vultures are roosting in an unwanted area, banging pots and pans is generally sufficient to scare them off, and he said if this is repeated, the birds will most likely settle on a different area to roost. But, King said, this just moves the problem, possibly to a neighbor’s property.
King explained that turkey vultures are federally protected, and the Iowa DNR supports that protection. Because of that, there is little else that can be done legally. However, as a last resort, approval can be requested for harvesting a limited number of the birds. Currently, Guthrie Center is pursuing this option.
“If you hang a dead turkey vulture in the areas where they’re roosting, we call that an effigy; they will leave that area,” King said. “That is an option that’s very effective.”
King said that although turkey vultures are generally not considered visually appealing, they serve an important function. As is the case with most scavengers, vultures routinely feed on rotting carcasses. While that certainly isn’t appetizing, it provides an essential environmental service by eliminating carcasses, which helps prevent the spread of disease — particularly to domestic livestock.
So, while the increase in local turkey vultures may not bring about many “Kodak moments,” the birds are beneficial to the environment.
“They do get a bad rap. They’re ugly,” King said. “They’re kind of like an opossum; they just don’t get enough love sometimes.”
