Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Linnaeus       Field Guide IDs: NG-102; G-66; PE-160; PW-pl 18; AE-pl 317; AW-pl 307; AM(I)-212 Nest Location Nest Type Eggs & Mating System Dev. & Parental Care Primary & 2ndary Diet.. Foraging Strategy NO NEST MF I: 38-41 DAYS SEMIALTRICIAL 2 SNAG 0 - 20+ feet 2 (1-3) MONOG F: 66-88 DAYS MF BREEDING: Open habitats in both lowlands and mountains. 1 brood. DISPLAYS: Courtship includes following-flights with male(?) occ diving at female. NEST: Also in cave (esp in w) or in hollow stump with narrow entrance. Rarely a minimal nest of raked stones, dry leaves, wood chips. EGGS: White, occ marked with brown. 2.8" (71 mm). DIET: Virtually any dead animal down to size of tadpole. Young fed regurgitant. CONSERVATION: Winters s to Bahamas, throughout C.A., Greater Antilles and S.A. Blue List 1972, 1980, Special Concern 1981-82, Local Concern 1986; reportedly decreasing in s Great Plains and parts of s. Eggshell thinning still a widespread problem. NOTES: Experimental evidence suggests carrion found by sight and scent. In contrast to Black Vulture, does not renest if clutch destroyed. Young brooded continuously for 5 days by both parents. Roost communally throughout year. STANFORD. NOTES: Common visitor seen soaring above campus year-round, occasionally feeding on dead animals along roads or in freshly disked areas. ESSAYS: Soaring; Avian Sense of Smell; Spread-Wing Postures; Blue List; Temperature Regulation; Communal Roosting. REFERENCES: Clark and Ohmart, 1985; Stager, 1964; Wilbur and Jackson, 1983.