turkey vulture

turkey vulture
a blackish-brown vulture, Cathartes aura, from the southern U.S. to South America, having a bare, wrinkled, red head and neck. Also called turkey buzzard. See illus. under vulture.
[1815-25, Amer.]

* * *

or turkey buzzard

Species (Cathartes aura) of long-winged, long-tailed vulture (family Cathartidae), about 30 in.

(75 cm) long, with dark plumage, whitish beak and legs, bare red head covered with whitish bumps, and a 6-ft (1.8-m) wingspread. It uses its keen sense of smell to find carrion. It occurs throughout the Americas except in northern Canada; the northerly and southernmost populations are migratory.

* * *

bird
also called  Turkey Buzzard 
 (Cathartes aura), long-winged, long-tailed vulture (family Cathartidae, the New World vultures) that has dark plumage, a whitish beak, white legs, and a bare red head (black in immature birds) that is covered with whitish bumps. Its wingspread is about 1.8 m (6 feet), and its length is about 75 cm (30 inches). The turkey vulture has an elaborate olfactory canal and uses its keen sense of smell in finding food. The bird subsists predominantly on carrion. The species occurs throughout the Americas except northern Canada; northerly and southernmost populations are migratory. The one to three eggs, which are white with brown spots, are laid in a crude nest; the sexes share incubation. Hatching takes place in five or six weeks.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Turkey vulture — Turkey Tur key, n.; pl. {Turkeys}. [So called because it was formerly erroneously believed that it came originally from Turkey: cf. F. Turquie Turkey. See {Turk}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any large American gallinaceous bird belonging to the genus {Meleagris} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • turkey vulture — Turkey Tur key, n.; pl. {Turkeys}. [So called because it was formerly erroneously believed that it came originally from Turkey: cf. F. Turquie Turkey. See {Turk}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any large American gallinaceous bird belonging to the genus {Meleagris} …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • turkey vulture — n. a dark colored vulture (Cathartes aura) of temperate and tropical America, resembling a turkey in having a naked, reddish head: also called turkey buzzard …   English World dictionary

  • Turkey Vulture — Taxobox name = Turkey Vulture status = LC status system = iucn3.1 status ref = regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Incertae sedis (disputed) familia = Cathartidae genus = Cathartes species = C. aura binomial = Cathartes aura …   Wikipedia

  • turkey vulture — paprastasis kalakutinis grifas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Cathartes aura angl. turkey vulture vok. Truthahngeier, m rus. гриф индейка, m; катарта индейка, f pranc. urubu à tête rouge, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas –… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • turkey vulture — noun a New World vulture that is common in South America and Central America and the southern United States • Syn: ↑buzzard, ↑turkey buzzard, ↑Cathartes aura • Hypernyms: ↑New World vulture, ↑cathartid • Member Holonyms: ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • turkey vulture — noun Date: 1823 an American vulture (Cathartes aura) with a red head and whitish bill called also turkey buzzard …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • turkey vulture — noun A common North American vulture, Cathartes aura …   Wiktionary

  • turkey vulture — noun a common American vulture with black plumage and a bare red head. [Cathartes aura.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • turkey vulture — tur′key vul ture n. orn a blackish brown New World vulture, Cathartes aura, with a bare, wrinkled red head and neck Also called tur′key buz zard. • Etymology: 1815–25, amer …   From formal English to slang

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”