If you’re a student at the Academies, there’s no doubt you’ve seen our resident Turkey Vultures in action. On a sunny day, they can be soaring around the building and weaving through the treetops, and even occasionally stopping to sun themselves, wings outstretched, on the ledges outside classrooms. Vultures are commonly seen as repulsive: because of their diet of carrion, awkward appearance, and association with death, the overall impression is that vultures are dirty bottom-feeders with few redeeming qualities. But if you’ve seen a vulture at the ACL, you should know that this humble bird is an unsung hero of the avian world.

The Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura, inhabits most of the Americas, claiming the skies from the snowy fields of Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. Its scientific name means “Breezy Cleanser”, alluding to its role in the ecosystem as a form of natural recycling. In Virginia, many vultures are year-round inhabitants, with additional birds migrating to temperate southern environments in the winter months. Leesburg’s Route 7, in particular, seems to be a site favored by Turkey Vultures: the birds have adapted to human presence in the area, taking advantage of roadkill, artificial perches, and man-made flat terrain with high visibility. The near-constant presence of the vulture so close to humans often leads to fear and misconception; however, the Turkey Vulture is both safe and beneficial to the environment.

Contrary to popular belief, the vulture is not related to other birds of prey or even other vultures in Eurasia: they descend from a relative of the stork, giving them a timid, thoughtful disposition as opposed to the to the hawk-like vultures of the Old World. They feed solely on carrion (dead carcasses) and will not eat dying or vulnerable animals like some other species of vulture— additionally, they are known to be extremely shy in temperament, making their danger to pets and humans extremely minimal. Additionally, the Turkey Vulture has not been known to damage property despite frequent rumors: it sports weak chicken-like feet incapable of ripping and has only rarely been known to use its powerful beak outside the context of carrion. However, if they or their chicks are threatened, they may regurgitate acidic chunks of half-digested meat: an effective deterrent, but also a great reason to respect their personal space.

Turkey Vultures do not spread disease or cause sickness as many people believe: despite their diet of dead animals, the vulture has adapted to its role as the “garbage disposal” of the natural world. By using its extremely acidic urine to sanitize its legs, the vulture kills all bacteria that may be lingering on its body after a meal: to further ensure the prevention of illness, it sits in direct sunlight and takes the iconic “horaltic pose”, spreading its wings to ensure its dark brown feathers absorb heat and fry any bacteria that might cling to them. In fact, the vulture is immune to food poisoning due to its incredibly robust digestive system, which can completely eliminate anthrax, tuberculosis, and rabies before it can spread to other species. Even the featherless heads that many consider a vulture’s ugliest trait exist for the purpose of sanitation: they ensure that no carrion and bacteria can stick to the vulture’s face and head, which is much more difficult to clean. Without the vulture, rotting carcasses in the wild would present a major disease threat as they decomposed: this avian janitor greatly reduces the spread of disease by taking care of natural waste.

Its role in the environment aside, the Turkey Vulture still boasts some impressive and unique qualities. Due to their keen sense of smell— the sharpest of any extant bird— they can detect carrion from over a mile away. Turkey vultures mate for life and have been known to “play” with one another while engaging in their classic “circling” flight pattern: they enjoy coasting on thermals and will take flight just to experience the ride with other vultures. Yes, you heard that right— “circling” isn’t vultures waiting for their prey to die, but communicating with friends and family. Turkey Vultures can live for more than twenty years in the wild, but the oldest known member of the species is a captive vulture named Lord Richard, who was born in 1974 and will be celebrating his 51st birthday in 2025. One turkey vulture can travel over 200 miles in a single day, and a group of vultures is called a venue, committee, kettle, or volt, though the name varies by location. As vulture species go,, they are extremely prim and proper: they will refuse carrion that is over 12-24 hours old, as they consider it too putrid to be edible, and— unlike other opportunistic species, are physically incapable of killing their prey.

One of the Academies’ vultures engaging in the horaltic pose outside a classroom.

Three vultures spotted outside a classroom on Valentines Day,

Now that you know the importance of the vulture, it might come as more of a concern that this species faces numerous human-made threats in Loudoun County and beyond. One such factor is human persecution. Recent efforts in nearby counties to scare off vultures by use of effigies and violent tactics have made an increasingly public encroachment on the safety of the birds. Another, more systemic concern is lead poisoning. Though humans have largely removed lead from paint, pipes, and gasoline, there is one source of the toxic heavy metal that remains prevalent: ammunition. When hunters use lead to dispatch their prey, vultures and other scavengers can consume fragments of metal left behind, resulting in the accumulation of blood lead levels over time. This can lead to neurological issues and physical weakness and, if not treated by wildlife rehabilitators in time, ultimately death.

Though dead vultures are certainly sad, the more concerning effect of vulture decline on humans is a rise in disease. This can be seen in the ongoing Indian Vulture Crisis, where a massive reduction in vulture populations caused the deaths of an estimated 500,000 people due to the uptick in unattended carcasses spreading disease. It is imperative that we support our vulture population–not only for the ecosystem, but for our own health. 

written by Norah McCormick

Norah McCormick is a Junior at the AOS with a passion for birds, wildlife, and avian science.  She is an intern this year through the Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District’s Youth Conservation Leadership Institute.  Her personal project involves raising awareness of lead toxicity in scavenger populations and our local ecosystem.  If you would like to donate any amount, no matter how small, to help test and treat scavengers such as the Turkey Vulture for lead toxicity, please find her fundraising page at https://gofund.me/d53317a7.  All proceeds go directly to the testing and care of animals affected by lead poisoning at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center.