My Observation Lists

    Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine for Birds, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, and Crustaceans, complete with pull down menus.

    BIRDS

Categorized by genus/species, placed chronologically by common name

    American Coot

    American Crow

    American Flamingo*

    American Goldfinch

    American Kestrel

    American Robin

    American Tree Sparrow

    American White Pelican

    Bald Eagle

    Baltimore Oriole

    Barn Swallow

    Belted Kingfisher

    Black-Capped Chickadee

    Black Vulture*

    Blue Jay

    Blue-Winged Teal

    Bobwhite

    Brown Creeper

    Brown-Headed Cowbird

    Brown Thrasher

    Bufflehead

    Canada Goose

    Canvasback

    Cedar Waxwing

    Chipping Sparrow

    Common Grackle

    Common Goldeneye

    Common Redpoll

    Cooper's Hawk

    Dark-Eyed Junco

    Double-Breasted Cormorant

    Downy Woodpecker

    Eastern Bluebird

    Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch

    Eastern Kingbird

    Eastern Meadowlark

    Eastern Phoebe

    Eastern Towhee

    Eurasian Coot*

    European Starling

    Fox Sparrow

    Golden-Crowned Kinglet

    Gray Catbird

    Graylag Goose

    Great Blue Heron

    Great Egret

    Greater Flamingo*

    Hairy Woodpecker

    Harlequin Duck

    Hermit Thrush

    Herring Gull

    Horned Lark

    House Finch

    House Sparrow

    House Wren

    Indigo Bunting

    Killdeer

    Lesser Scaup

    Lincoln's Sparrow

    Mallard (Domestic)

    Mallard (Wild)

    Mourning Dove

    Northern Cardinal

    Northern Flicker

    Northern Rough-Winged Swallow

    Northern Shoveler

    Orange-Crowned Warbler

    Palm Warbler

    Red-Bellied Woodpecker

    Red-Breasted Nuthatch

    Red-Headed Woodpecker

    Red-Tailed Hawk

    Red-Winged Blackbird

    Ring-Billed Gull

    Ring-Necked Duck

    Rock Pigeon

    Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

    Scarlet Tanager

    Solitary Sandpiper

    Song Sparrow

    Spotted Sandpiper

    Swamp Sparrow

    Tufted Titmouse

    Turkey Vulture

    White-Breasted Nuthatch

    White-Crowned Sparrow

    White-Throated Sparrow

    Wild Turkey

    Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

    Yellow-Rumped Warbler


    INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS

Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name

    Ants (Formicidae)

    Bee Flies (Bombyliidae)

    Blow Flies (Calliphoridae)

    Brown Lacewings (Hemerobiidae)

    Bumble Bees, etc. (Apidae)

    Carrion Beetles (Silphidae)

    Cellar Spiders (Pholcidae)

    Centipedes, House (Scutigeridae)

    Cicadas (Cicadidae)

    Common Sawflies (Tenthredinidae)

    Crane Flies (Tipulidae)

    Emeralds (Corduliidae)

    Fireflies (Lampyridae)

    Flower Flies - See Syrphid Flies

    Funnel-Web Spiders (Agelenidae)

    Honey Bees - See Bumble Bees, etc.

    Hornets - See Yellowjackets, etc.

    Hover Flies - See Syrphid Flies

    Ichneumon Wasps (Ichneumonidae)

    Jumping Spiders (Salticidae)

    Katydids (Tettigoniidae)

    Ladybird Beetles (Coccinellidae)

    Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae)

    Leaffooted Bugs (Coreidae)

    Leafhoppers (Cicadellidae)

    Lightning Bugs - See Fireflies

    Longhorned Beetles (Cerambycidae)

    Mantid Flies (Mantispidae)

    Mantids (Mantidae)

    Minettia Flies (Minettia)

    Narrow-Winged Damselflies (Coenagrionidae)

    New York Weevils (Ithyceridae)

    Orb-Weavers (Araneidae)

    Paper Wasps - See Yellowjackets, etc.

    Picture-Winged Flies (Ulidiidae)

    Plant Bugs (Miridae)

    Robber Flies (Asilidae)

    Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae)

    Scentless Plant Bugs (Rhopalidae)

    Short-horned Grasshoppers (Acrididae)

    Signal Flies (Platystomatidae)

    Soldier Beetles (Cantharidae)

    Soldier Flies (Stratiomyidae)

    Spittlebugs (Cercopidae)

    Stink Bugs (Pentatomidae)

    Swallowtails (Papilionidae)

    Sweat Bees (Halictidae)

    Syrphid Flies (Syrphidae)

    Tiger Moths (Arctiidae)

    Tiphiid Wasps (Tiphiidae)

    Yellowjackets, etc. (Vespidae)


    MAMMALS

    American Beaver

    Common Raccoon

    Eastern Chipmunk

    Eastern Cottontail

    Eastern Fox Squirrel

    Eastern Gray Squirrel

    Groundhog - See Woodchuck

    Ground Squirrel - See Eastern Chipmunk

    Red Fox

    Striped Skunk

    Virginia Opossum

    White-Tailed Deer

    Woodchuck


    PLANTS

    Brown-Eyed Susan

    Buttonbush

    Clematis

    Crown Vetch

    Dandelion

    Day Lily

    Field Marigold

    Larkspur

    Mountain Blue

    Palm Tree*

    Purple Coneflower

    Rose

    Sedum

    Spider Lily - See Spiderwort

    Spiderwort

    Stinkhorn

    Sweet Alyssum

    Whorled Tickseed

    Wild Pansy

    Yarrow


    REPTILES and AMPHIBIANS

    American Toad

    Common Garter Snake

    Eastern Box Turtle*

    Green Frog

    Long-Tailed Salamander*

    Northern Fence Lizard*

    Painted Turtle


    CRUSTACEANS

    Crayfish


    EVENTS / OTHER

    Events

    Farm Implements

    Landscapes / Rivers

    Miscellaneous

    Planes / Trains / Autos / Boats

    Rainbows / Clouds / Sky Formations

    Signs, Billboards, etc.

    Structures / Buildings

    Sun and Moon

    Weather


Monday, July 9, 2007

turkey vulture

turkey vulture 05

turkey vulture 03

turkey vulture open wing

Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura - also known as Urubu à tête rouge (French), Vautour (French), Zopilote Aura (Spanish), Aura cabecirroja (Spanish), Aura Gallipavo (Spanish), Kalkoengier (Dutch), Truthahngeier (German), Avvoltoio collorosso (Italian), Kalkongam (Swedish).

A very interesting (and HUGE) bird, the Turkey Vulture is almost shocking when seen “in person.” The size and the look of this bird are quite striking when one is out taking pictures of larks and buntings!

Via Cornell:

The Turkey Vulture uses its sense of smell to locate carrion. The part of its brain responsible for processing smells is particularly large, compared to other birds. Its heightened ability to detect odors allows it to find dead animals below a forest canopy.

Very cool!

Males and females look similarly (females a bit larger).

The Turkey Vulture is found in Iowa and the Midwest throughout the summer, and can be found in the Southern US (and parts of the southern-most areas of the Midwest) all year long.

Taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens on July 4, 2007 in Oak Run (Dahinda), Illinois.

Related Posts with Thumbnails

Related posts:

  1. Black Vulture
  2. Wild Turkey
  3. Wild Turkey Tracks in Snow
  4. Killdeer In Flight
  5. Killdeer Wading

Posted by: Moe in: Birds, Illinois at 1:22 pm

Permalink | trackback (right click and save) | 
4 Responses to “Turkey Vulture”
  1. 1
    Stephen Leese Says:

    hello Moe,

    Very nice website! Nice photos.
    I have just moved to Bettendorf from Europe and am a keen birdwatcher. Today I was in Burlington, IA at Starr’s Caves and saw a small warbler with an orange throat and black cap. The only thing I can identify from my field guide is a Blackburnian Warbler. Is this possible?

    Stephen Leese

  2. 2
    Moe Says:

    Wow!! It definitely could be a blackburnian warbler this time of year, as they come through here during migration. That would be a great find!

  3. 3
    Cindy Schollaert Says:

    For several hours above our pasture (north of Dixon Iowa) we spotted a huge flock of at least 30 birds….they appeared to be vultures. (dark, very broad wings…couldn’t see their heads much during flight) It was a freakish sight, for sure. They circled slowly in huge groups, and stayed in the area all afternoon. In fact, I’ve seen one again this morning. At one point, they all flew and perched on a cell phone tower. Is this common behavior to be in such a large flock? Otherwise, what could they have been.

  4. 4
    Moe Says:

    Cindy - Turkey Vultures definitely do hang out in groups. This time of year they can often be seen in a large group sitting in a tree or other object getting sun and stretching their wings.

    The best way to tell if they are turkey vultures when they are soaring is to look at the coloring under their wings (like the 3rd picture, above). The dark body with dark parts at the top of the wing, with all white lower wing parts often gives them away.

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