why are they called turkey vultures

The Unusual Story Behind the Turkey Vulture’s Name

Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) are a common sight across much of North and South America, using their keen senses to scavenge for carrion. But despite their wide distribution and familiar profile soaring overhead, the turkey vulture has a name that seems oddly disconnected from its lifestyle and taxonomy. So why are turkey vultures called turkey vultures? The origins of their unusual common name are actually steeped in some interesting history and theories.

Physical Resemblance Between Turkey Vultures and Turkeys

When European colonists and settlers first encountered turkey vultures in North America, the most straightforward explanation is that they thought the bald red heads were similar to that of male wild turkeys. Early observers likely saw a resemblance between the red fleshy head of turkey vultures and the bald blue and red head of male turkeys. This characteristic alone seems the most plausible reason the first colonists referred to the vulture as a “turkey buzzard.”

The turkey vulture’s dark plumage may have also vaguely resembled the body feathers of wild turkeys, further reinforcing an association between the two species in the minds of early colonists. Even though turkey vultures and turkeys have very different lifestyles, the colonists linked them due to perceived physical similarities.

Behavioral Parallels Between the Species

Beyond looks, there are some behavioral parallels that could have led the colonists to associate turkey vultures with turkeys. Both species roost communally, with turkey vultures gathering in large numbers on cliffs and turkeys sleeping together in trees. Turkey vultures’ habit of following herds and scavenging in open fields likely reminded observers of domestic turkeys wandering farm yards in search of food. The vocalizations of turkey vultures, while limited, include grunts and hisses reminiscent of some turkey calls. These shared behaviors likely reinforced the colonists’ connection between the two species.

Shared Habitats and Ranges

Turkey vultures and wild turkeys occupy overlapping habitats across parts of North America. Both species frequent open grasslands, pastures, and agricultural fields, especially when foraging. Seeing turkey vultures and turkeys walking along the ground eating or pecking for food in the same habitats led colonists to associate them as similar animals. The geographic range overlap between turkey vultures and wild turkeys in the eastern United States was another factor linking the two species. Where the two species co-occurred, colonists noticed turkey vultures near turkeys.

Naming Practices at the Time

European colonists and settlers arriving in North America encountered many birds that were new to them, including the turkey vulture. Lacking familiarity with much of the New World avifauna, it was a common practice at the time to name species for their resemblance to European counterparts or domesticated animals like turkeys. The name “turkey buzzard” arose from this tendency to associate unfamiliar American wildlife with more familiar European wildlife the colonists knew. As a result, the name stuck even despite the species’ lack of close relationship.

Why the Turkey Name Persisted

Once the early colonists started calling the vulture a “turkey buzzard,” the odd name continued to be used in writings and books about New World wildlife by subsequent naturalists and authors. The association with turkeys was passed down even as it became clear the two species were not really that closely related. Alternate names for the turkey vulture like “carrion crow” never gained the same foothold in common usage. Over time, the turkey vulture name remained embedded in the language. The long-standing familiarity of the name has kept it entrenched, even though the “turkey” connection seems baffling today.

No Close Relationship Between Turkey Vultures and Turkeys

While they exhibit some superficial similarities, turkeys and turkey vultures do not belong to closely related groups. Turkeys are large ground-dwelling birds in the family Phasianidae, along with grouse, partridges, and pheasants. Turkey vultures are raptors related to other New World vultures like the California condor. Beyond foraging in some of the same open habitats and overlapping in some range areas, wild turkeys and turkey vultures rarely interact or affect each other. Their lifestyles and biology are quite distinct despite the name.

Turkey Vulture Facts and Characteristics

To shed further light on the turkey vulture’s name, let’s look at some key facts about its appearance, range, ecology, and habits:

• Turkey vultures have dark brown plumage, except for gray flight feathers on their wings. Their heads are small relative to their bodies and featherless.

• Adult turkey vulture heads are brilliant red in color. Their beaks are ivory-colored and hooked at the tip.

• These vultures have a 6-foot wingspan and typically weigh between 4 to 5 pounds as adults.

• They range from Canada through South America, and migrate along that range depending on the season.

• Turkey vultures use their keen sense of smell to locate carcass to scavenge. They primarily eat dead animals.

• Soaring on thermals and roosting communally are typical behaviors. Their vocalizations are limited to grunts and hisses.

• Turkey vultures inhabit relatively open country and savannahs, especially grasslands where herds of grazing animals occur.

• They breed in caves and hollowed-out trees or logs, with females typically laying 2 eggs.

What Do Wild Turkeys Look and Act Like?

For comparison, here are some basics on the characteristics and habits of wild turkeys that illuminate some of the subtle connections drawn by colonists:

• Male wild turkeys are larger and far more colorful than females. They have reddish-colored fleshy nodules on their bald heads.

• Their plumage is ornately patterned in brown, black, gray, red, and white. Overall they appear quite different from turkey vultures.

• Turkeys are omnivorous ground birds that occupy forest habitats interspersed with openings.

• They forage by walking and scratching through leaf litter searching for nuts, seeds, insects, and other food.

• Male turkeys are polygamous, mating with multiple females in the spring. Male groups dissolve after the mating season while female groups remain more stable.

• Wild turkeys roost together at night in trees. They make a variety of clucks, gobbles, yelps, and purring sounds.

• Their historic range once spanned much of North America before habitat loss caused declines. Range recovery programs have expanded their distribution.

The subtle similarities between some habits of the two species help explain how early American colonists and settlers perceived a connection between them and applied the “turkey” name to the vultures. But the differences far outweigh the similarities, as decades of subsequent scientific research have made clear.

Conclusion

In the end, turkey vultures likely got their misleading name from perceived similarities in appearance, shared habitats, some behavioral parallels, and the tendency of early colonists to associate unfamiliar New World species with European counterparts. Even after it became obvious that turkey vultures are not closely related to turkeys, the unusual name had already become too firmly embedded to change. The long-standing familiarity of the name turkey vulture has kept it in use centuries after its origination, despite the lack of a true connection between vultures and turkeys. The interesting history behind its name provides a good reminder that common names of organisms do not always accurately reflect their biology.