Turkey Vultures dine on carrion

While out and about on a photo drive yesterday, my son and I spotted six of these birds circling and heading west. The Turkey Vultures disappeared from our sight but we ended up finding them again dining on Prairie Dog carrion in a field.

We spent an hour watching them as they took turns picking apart their meal. The case could certainly be made that these are some of the ugliest birds in the world – my son certainly thinks so. While certainly not pretty, I tend to think they are kind of neat.

These large birds can have wingspans approaching six feet across and when flying high in the sky are often mistaken for hawks or eagles. Taken in Longmont, Colorado.

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