AnimalvsAnimal
20230607 turkey vulture PD26408 1🦅

Photo: Paul Danese · CC BY-SA 4.0

SpeciesAccipitriformesCathartidae
Birds

🦅Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758)

The turkey vulture is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus Cathartes of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures, and deserts.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Videos
30
Photos
3
Measurements
12
vs you
≈ 1/41st of your weight
Conservation status
LCLeast concern

IUCN Red List assessment, 2018.

Population trendStable
Key measurements
Body mass
1.52 kg
Body length
not recorded
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
21 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Turkey Vulture

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
1.52 kg
AVONET
Other figures ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Figures vary

  • 2.2 kgAnAgeAnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR)data quality: acceptable
Tail length
0.24 m
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Wing length
0.51 m
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Beak length
0.05 m
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Tarsus length
0.05 m
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Maximum lifespan
21 years
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Gestation
39 days
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Litter size
about 2
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Trophic level
Scavenger
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Habitat
Human Modified
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Lifestyle
Terrestrial
AVONET
Details ↓

Source: AVONET · v1.1 (Tobias et al. 2022) · CC BY 4.0

Volume l
1.5 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Turkey Vulture yet: body length, shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classAves
  4. ›orderAccipitriformes
  5. ›familyCathartidae
  6. ›genusCathartes
  7. ›speciesCathartes aura
Full lineage
  1. classBirds · Aves
  2. orderHawks & eagles · Accipitriformes
  3. familyCathartidae
  4. genusCathartes
All 12 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. orderSauria
  9. classBirds · Aves
  10. orderHawks & eagles · Accipitriformes
  11. familyCathartidae
  12. genusCathartes
More

More about the Turkey Vulture

In other languages
kalkonkondor (sv), نسر رومي (ar), zopilot capvermell (ca), kondor krocanovitý (cs), Kalkungrib (da), Truthahngeier (de) … and 25 more languages
More photos
20230607 turkey vulture PD26408 1Cathartes aura Mexico 82022 05 16 Turkey vulture
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Tree of life

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