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05-MAY-2006 © jp

Turkey Vultures are back!

Five of these beautiful birds in one tree......what a site to see!

Some facts on Turkey Vultures: There is an important purpose to the vulture's bald head. When the vulture is eating carrion, it must often stick its head inside the carcass to reach the meat. A feathery head would capture unwanted pieces of the vulture's meal, along with all the bacteria it hosts. After mealtime, the turkey vulture perches in the heat of the sun. Here, whatever has managed to cling to the few bits of fuzz on their head will be baked off once and for all. The turkey vulture often directs its urine right onto its legs. This serves two very important purposes. In the summertime, wetting the legs cools the vulture, as the urine evaporates. (The vulture cannot sweat like us). In addition, this urine contains strong acids from the vulture's digestive system, which kill any bacteria that may remain on the bird's legs from stepping in its meal.

Canon PowerShot S2 IS
1/40s f/3.5 at 72.0mm full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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coaster30-May-2006 19:58
Nice shot and thanks for the information.
Buz Kiefer07-May-2006 19:42
No way they'd let people get this close here. Good shot James and very interesting comments.
Karen Leaf07-May-2006 03:54
Fascinating info and a great catch.
royalld06-May-2006 14:37
Nice shot.
Interesting information on how some of God's creatures help themselves.
Beverly Wickersham06-May-2006 13:58
NIce shot. We usually only get to see these guys soaring overhead. Good job.
Guest 06-May-2006 08:29
Great capture James
Gra Tomlin06-May-2006 06:45
fab regards Helen
Greg Harp06-May-2006 04:18
Great capture.
carol j. phipps06-May-2006 04:03
Excellent capture. Such a great sky. Red noses.
Kathy Pedersen06-May-2006 03:59
Amazing capture James, and so beautiful against the blue sky! Vote
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