Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

Turkey Vulture [lateral view of adult]: Photograph Credit: Stephen J. Stedman; Bledsoe County, Tennessee; 17 June 2012.

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Abundance: Common at all seasons, somewhat more so in most locations than the Black Vulture; less common on the Cumberland Plateau during winter than during other seasons; recorded in all Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution); the breeding population is stable and possibly increasing (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Permanent Resident; photograph [adult flying] (Barry Stein, Buck Mountain Rd., Putnam County, Tennessee; 18 March 2007); photograph [adult perched] (Stephen J. Stedman; City Lake, Putnam County, Tennessee; 30 January 2012); photograph [close-up of anterior end] (Winston A. Walden; West Oak Dr., Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee; 14 April 2012); photograph [view of adult with road-killed rabbit] (Winston A. Walden; West Oak Dr., Cookeville, Putnam County, Tennessee; 14 April 2012).

Regional High Count: 850 (9 December 2001; most counted at dusk near Peninsula, Barren River Reservoir, Barren County, Kentucky; David L. Roemer, Stephen J. Stedman); CBC/CBB High Count: 475 (28 December 2004; DeKalb County, Tennessee [CBC]; m. ob.); FBC/FBB High Count: 235 (25 September 2010; DeKalb County, Tennessee [FBB]; m. ob.); SBC/SBB High Count: 153 (8 May 2010; Putnam County, Tennessee [SBC]; m. ob.).

Breeding: Confirmed (Recent); nesting sites usually small caves or cave-like structures, such as abandoned buildings, hollow tree trunks, etc.; nest a scrape on bare ground or whatever the flooring of the cave-like structure might be. The young remain in the cave for several months until full grown; two "nestlings/fledglings" are illustrated in this photo (Edmund K. LeGrand; Leffle Webb Rd., Cumberland County, Tennessee; 3 July 2009).

Habitat: Primarily aerial; nesting sites usually removed from sources of disturbance.

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 75 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 183 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, resulting in a YardWatch frequency classification of Common each year; this YardWatch frequency classification indicates that the Turkey Vulture is about as likely to be encountered in Regional yards and neighborhoods as in the Region as a whole.

Foray Results: A summary of data from UCR Forays follows (to view a map displaying foray data for a county or a sub-Region for this species, click on the name of an underlined county or state below):

* Because some foray blocks fall into two or three counties, the total of blocks in the Kentucky or Tennessee portions of the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the counties of each portion of the Region; similarly, because some blocks fall into both states, the total of blocks for the Region is less than the sum of the blocks in the two states.

Remarks: x

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited