Talk:Turkey Vulture

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November 4, 2007 Featured article candidate Promoted
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[edit] Images

The image is a public domain picture from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

I believe the above is a California condor. Anyway, TVs don't have white underwings. So if anyone has a picture of a Turkey Vulture, the page needs one or two! (I'm trying to get one.) —JerryFriedman 19:22, 20 Aug 2004 (UTC)

Have no fear! I just took a great picture of one today. They're some of the most skittish birds I've ever met... -- Phyzome is Tim McCormack 01:56, 2004 Dec 16 (UTC)
Terrific picture - never seen one that close. Around here they're easy to find, but generally at least a hundred feet overhead. ;) The flight picture will also be useful to people trying to identify one, since it gives a good impression of the dihedral wing stance and upward wing tips in flight. - toh 2005 July 3 16:41 (UTC)

[edit] Taxobox

I reverted recent taxobox edit. AOU is not the standard taxonomic classification outside N America, Wikipedia follows HBW

[edit] size? weight?

This article doesn't mention how big these birds are or how much they weigh, etc. There needs to be a better basic description of these birds methinks.


Coming home from work yesterday a vulture came out of a wooded area (road kill) and could not manuver fast enough to completey clear my truck. With only a slight thump it returned to the wooded area. The size of this bird blew my mind. I had never encountered a bird of that size. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.224.7.88 (talk) 16:43, August 25, 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Moving North

The article is right in saying they are moving north, I live 50 miles south of the Canadian Border in Washington and they have moved in and become common in the last 5 years. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 67.110.221.182 (talk) 21:29, 1 May 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Turkey Buzzard

Although Turkey Buzzard redirects to this page, nowhere is the more common term mentioned on the main page. Yes, it's a misnomer since buzzards are properly broad-winged hawks; still, the common name for these birds all across the US is "buzzard" or "turkey buzzard" and an encyclopedia entry should mention this. They really aren't vultures, either, or are no closer related to true vultures than they are to true buzzards so leaving out one name in favor of the other looks sloppy. Halfelven 22:41, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

I don't think it's the most common name - in the English-speaking countries of the Caribbean, it's invariably Turkey Vulture or TV, and English speakers in the Spanish-speaking countries of Central and South America also appear to use the vulture version. And it is a vulture, just a different family to the Old World birds Jimfbleak 06:12, 7 August 2007 (UTC)
i have to say i think it's important to represent the state of affairs as it is, and not try to represent any particular viewpoint, especially on relatively arbitrary issues. yes, it's neither a true vulture nor a true buzzard. but depending upon where one lives and who one is raised by, either name could be confidently used to refer to this species (i myself was raised calling them "turkey buzzards", but now prefer to use "turkey vulture"). "common names" names are just that. - Metanoid (talk, email) 05:53, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
Surely the current version reflects the North American colloquial usage of Turkey Buzzard adequately? I don't think that the article suggests that it really is a buzzard, and it is a vulture, although the relationships with other families is in a state of flux. Jimfbleak 10:05, 27 October 2007 (UTC)
no, no, it's fine! just for the rec, i wasn't sure what the current state of affairs was and i might be back around in the near future, is all. :) - Metanoid (talk, email) 10:23, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Horaltic

Caption on one of the pictures says "horaltic" pose. Should this be perhaps "heraldic"?Cvjara (talk) 17:42, 11 April 2008 (UTC)
Hmm. Seems to me this was discussed somewhere when this article was being developed, and the term was found to be a bogus one. Thought it had been removed, but looks like it hasn't! I'll do so now. MeegsC | Talk 22:22, 11 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Life span

I stumbled on a website that said this bird lived to be 118. I've stumbled on many but they all seem to be quoting a bulletin made by : Forest Preserve District of Cook County presents examples of extreme old age in a nature bulletin (No. 486-A, dated March 24, 1973).


http://www.wonderquest.com/LifeSpan-MaxMin.htm

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/400-499/nb486.htm

I have only found this 118 year claim on searches for Turkey Buzzard and not for Turkey Vulture. Any ideas if there is any validity to this claim? If so it would be an interesting point to include in the article. I really don't want to add the info myself unless someone confirms this because I honestly have no idea.

Fa1512 (talk) 13:00, 3 June 2008 (UTC)