TulsaPets Magazine September 2021

26 TulsaPets • September/October 2021 Gawky BIrds Are Useful Creatures by Kim Doner | Photos by Kathy Locker A ny serious fan of Looney Tunes animation recognizes the name “Beaky Buzzard,” a slow-witted character known for his shy nature and di- alogue dependence on the phrase, “Duhhh, yup yup yup yup yup.” The more accurate identification of this cartoon creature is a turkey vulture, which for centuries has been unfairly cast as a harbinger of doom and omen of bad luck. Granted, any healthy vulture can claim many unsavory traits, but let me assure you, these guys are a big deal in the food chain, and we’re lucky to have them around. Convergent evolution of vultures created two branches of this animal: Old World vultures (which are never called buzzards; that’s another term for hawks outside Amer- ica), found in Europe, Asia, and Africa, and New World vultures (also called buzzards, in particular turkey vultures), found in North America and South America. Our New World vultures are more closely related to storks than to raptors, although they are categorized as birds of prey. Here in Oklahoma, we have the black vulture and the turkey vulture. When you are trying to ID them from the air, the black vulture will look entirely solid with silver wingtips, but the turkey vulture will have lots of gray under the wings that accent the V-shape of its body in flight. Turkey vultures are known for their keen sense of smell and black vultures for their keen sense of sight. Because the birds are quite social, thousands will combine those strengths to create their own potlucks, so to speak. When this kind of gathering occurs, it’s called a wake of vultures (not “early risers” — more like “Irish-style perma- nent farewells”). Although black vultures have been known to attack live animals, the turkey vulture can find a carcass from more than a mile away from the mildest of sulfuric odors. Most birds have little sense of smell, but these guys are so sensitive that scientists are studying this gift for someday finding crime victims (yes, I know that’s grim, but it’s still fascinating). Admittedly, vultures hardly conjure ap- preciation as a thing of beauty either. Their lumpy, featherless heads and necks look dis- eased more than healthfully protective, but protect they do. Not only does the bareness help in heat regulation, but when the birds feed, the lack of feathers prevents parasites from crawling anywhere. Ah, feeding. Their forte. Their incredible contribution to nature. Vultures like nasty, smelly, rotting meat. As long as the host was not poisoned, it is the vultures’ version of gourmet dining. When an animal dies, whether from rabies or tuberculosis or the plague, the corpse steadily breaks down from bacteria spread- ing through the flesh. Tissue degrades and VULTURE Culture