The Turkey Vulture Is Absolutely Ugly, but Its Return to NH Is Important

Majestic in Flight, A Bit Scary on the Ground

With nearly a 6-foot wingspan, the turkey vulture is majestic in flight but when you see one on the ground, they are just plain terrifying.  I think I caught one on a bad day and had a hard time dodging it to get to my car.

Oh, and I have I mentioned that they can hiss loudly?

I still like to watch them in the air, thanks.  They are big, they are ugly, and they are back in New Hampshire raising their young hatchlings which usually hatch around May, according to unionleader.com.

Be Nice to the Turkey Vultures, My Wife Says So

My wife is kind to all animals because she says, ‘they are all God’s creatures.’  She is nice even to bugs and spiders.  I told her about the ugly bird, and she said, not ugly, practical.  I said, “it had no feathers on its head!” and she said, “yeah, that’s a good thing because they eat carrion and don’t get their feathers messy, bald heads stay cleaner.”

They help clean up the environment of dead animals that we don’t want to.

Amazing Creatures

Okay, so they are pretty cool.  I mean they take care of dead animals on the side of the highway and in our forests, it’s gross, but it’s an important function in the circle of life.

According to unionleader.com, they have great eyesight and a fantastic sense of smell that can pick up the smell of decay of a dead animal better than I can smell steak grilling on a neighbor’s grill 5 doors away.

Another very interesting fact about turkey vultures, per the news article, is they do not transmit rabies.  Even if they scavenge from an infected animal, the chain of transmission stops with them so lets me happy about the great job they are doing for the environment and keep your eye out for them.