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Turkey Vulture
The Turkey Vulture is an eagle-sized bird that is usually seen
soaring over the countryside, its wings held upward in a wide, shallow V;
the flight feathers are a silver grey with a black lining. This brownish-black
bird has a long tail and its head is small, bare and red. It hisses or grunts
when feeding or at it's nest but is usually silent. It is very common in the
Upper Peninsula.
The Turkey Vulture breeds from southern British Columbia, central Saskatchewan
and the Great Lakes southward, wintering in southeast to southwestern America.
They prefer mainly deciduous forests and woodlands and are often seen in nearby
farmlands.
Two white eggs with dark brown markings are placed in a rock crevice, a hollow
tree or in a hollow fallen log without a nest or lining. The Turkey Vulture
can coast for hours, swaying from side to side and riding on rising columns
of warm air called thermals, while searching for a carcass. Turkey Vultures
feed chiefly on carrion and refuse.