Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) are large, mostly black scavenging birds found throughout North and South America. They are one of the most widespread vultures in the Americas, and play an important ecological role as scavengers that help clean up carcasses and prevent the spread of diseases. But how long do these ubiquitous vultures manage to survive in the wild? In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the typical lifespan of turkey vultures.
Typical Lifespan in the Wild
Turkey vultures are relatively long-lived birds compared to many other avian species. In the wild, their average lifespan is around 16 to 20 years. However, the maximum lifespan recorded for a turkey vulture is 30 years in the wild according to bird banding records. This makes them one of the longest living land birds in North America.
For comparison, other common wild birds may only live for 2-5 years on average. Small songbirds like chickadees or wrens often don’t survive more than 1-3 years in nature. Large raptors like eagles and hawks can live upwards of 20-30 years. So the turkey vulture falls on the longer end of lifespans for wild birds. Their scavenging lifestyle reduces risky hunting behavior and likely contributes to their longevity.
Range of Lifespans
While 16-20 years is the typical lifespan, turkey vultures can live shorter or longer lives:
– Young vultures have very high mortality rates. Up to 80% may die in their first year.
– Those that survive to adulthood may only live another 1-2 years if they experience food shortages, accidents, or disease.
– The maximum lifespan in the wild is around 30 years. The very oldest individuals reach this advanced age.
– Captive turkey vultures can live significantly longer, up to 35-40 years in some instances. Their protected environments and consistent food access enables their extended lifespans.
So while variation exists, most wild turkey vultures fall somewhere in the 16 to 30 year lifespan range. Achieving the maximum lifespan is more rare and requires successfully surviving all the challenges they face in nature over decades.
Factors Affecting Lifespan
The lifespan of turkey vultures can be significantly influenced by a number of internal and external factors:
Food Availability
As scavengers, turkey vultures rely on locating animal carcasses for their food. In areas or years when small mammal and game populations decline, finding sufficient food can be difficult. Malnourishment may lead to starvation and shorter lifespans for vultures. When food is plentiful, they are more likely to meet their nutritional needs and survive longer.
Disease
Turkey vultures seem to have a high resistance to many pathogens and toxins that can sicken or kill wildlife. Their low pH stomach acid likely gives them a strong immune system when consuming diseased carcasses. However, they are still susceptible to some viruses, fungi, and bacteria that can negatively impact their health and longevity.
Harsh Weather
As a species adapted for temperate and subtropical habitats, Turkey vultures can struggle in severe cold weather events. Sustained freezing temperatures, snow, or ice can cause hypothermia and starvation. Their thin, featherless heads are vulnerable to frostbite. Severe weather may directly kill vultures or reduce their fitness going into breeding season.
Threats from Humans
Turkey vulture populations today are generally stable and their widespread status affords them some protection. But illegal shooting, trapping, and poisoning have impacted the species, especially in the past. Collisions with vehicles and aircraft also cause some unnatural mortality. These human-caused threats can lower lifespans.
Reproductive Success
Turkey vultures don’t reach sexual maturity until about 3-4 years old. Those who successfully breed and fledge chicks most years will pass on more of their genes and boost the survival rate of the overall population. Lifespans are likely to be higher for reproducing adults compared to non-breeding birds at a given age.
Predation
While turkey vultures are most notable as scavengers, they can become prey themselves at times. Golden eagles may opportunistically attack them. And mammalian predators like raccoons, foxes, and weasels will take eggs and hatchlings from unattended nests. But predation is not a major source of mortality for adult vultures.
Lifespan by Age
We can break down the typical lifespan of turkey vultures by different age classes:
Hatchlings
Turkey vulture chicks are altricial, meaning they hatch blind and naked, requiring extensive parental care. They remain in the nest for about 2 months, building up strength and size. Mortality rates can be high during these vulnerable first months, with starvation or predators killing up to 70% of hatchlings.
Fledglings
Once flight feathers develop around 10-15 weeks, turkey vulture chicks will take their first flights and fledge from the nest. These juveniles slowly gain flight endurance and foraging skills through the season. Some may not survive this transitionary period if unable to find food or if inexperienced flyers.
Immature
Fledged birds will be dependent on their parents for feeding and protection for several months after leaving the nest. By late fall, most juveniles will disperse on their own to establish a winter range. Mortality risk remains elevated (30-50%) during this time as young birds learn to fully fend for themselves.
Subadults
At 1-2 years old, turkey vultures reach sexual maturity and may start seeking mates. But they may not successfully breed or fledge young until 3-5 years old. From 2-5 years of age most birds are physically mature but still honing their breeding and parenting abilities. Lifespan varies during this period.
Prime Adults
From approximately 5-15 years old, turkey vultures are in their reproductive prime with the highest fertility rates. This is also when their foraging and roosting habits are well established. Mortality rates are lowered compared to other age classes, resulting in higher lifespan probabilities.
Older Adults
After 15 years or so, turkey vultures begin to show signs of advanced age as physiology slows. While they may still breed, their productivity tends to decrease in later years. As with all wildlife, injury risk and disease susceptibility increase with old age. But some may survive over 20 years in the wild.
Senescent
The oldest turkey vultures, 25-30 years old, are reaching the maximum lifespan for the species. At this senescent life stage, reproduction has ceased, physical condition is declining, and mortality risk escalates. Only a select few experience such an lengthy lifespan under natural conditions.
Mortality Rates by Age
We can see the range of mortality rates for turkey vultures at different ages:
Age Class | Mortality Rate |
---|---|
Hatchlings | 50-70% |
Fledglings | 20-50% |
Immature | 30-50% |
Subadults | 10-30% |
Prime Adults | 5-15% |
Older Adults | 15-30% |
Senescent | 45-55% |
Younger vultures suffer the highest mortality until reaching breeding adulthood. Prime adults have the greatest likelihood of survival annually. At advanced ages, mortality creeps up again as senescence occurs. But the low mortality rates of adults help contribute to the species’ longevity overall.
Comparison to Other Vultures
To provide more context, we can compare the turkey vulture’s lifespan to that of some its vulture relatives:
Black Vulture
Close cousin to the turkey vulture and often found alongside them, black vultures (Coragyps atratus) have a similar average lifespan of 16-25 years in the wild according to banding data. Their all-black plumage and lack of a featherless head distinguish them from turkey vultures. But their scavenging habits and breeding ecology lead to comparable longevity overall.
California Condor
The endangered California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is North America’s largest vulture, with wingspans over 9 feet! California condors can live upwards of 60 years in the wild. Intensive conservation efforts seem to be helping this maximum lifespan manifest more now as the species recovers from near extinction.
King Vulture
In Central and South America, the king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) rules over the forested habitats it inhabits. King vultures feed more on rotting meat in the humid tropics than bone-dry carcasses. Maximum lifespan in the wild approaches 30 years for these vividly colored, large vultures.
Andean Condor
Reigning as the heaviest flying bird in the world, the Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) soars on mountain updrafts along the South American Pacific coast. condors are very long-lived, with lifespans of 50 years or more being reported. Their immense size and lack of natural predators helps enable such longevity.
Lifespan in Captivity
When kept in zoos, wildlife rehabilitation centers, and aviaries, turkey vultures benefit from reliable food sources, veterinary care, and an absence of predators. This allows captive turkey vultures to commonly live into their late 30s or even 40 years of age. The oldest known captive turkey vulture exceeded 48 years old.
So while an average wild turkey vulture may only survive some 15-20 years, protected captive birds can more than double that lifespan under human care. Lower injury and disease rates contribute to longer life when threats and food scarcity are minimized.
Record Lifespans
According to records, some of the oldest known captive turkey vultures include:
– 40 years – Pueblo Zoo in Colorado
– 41 years – Dallas Zoo in Texas
– 45 years – San Francisco Zoo in California
– 48 years – Los Angeles Zoo in California
Facilities investing resources into geriatric care seem most likely to achieve these record lifespans for captive vultures.
Lifespan Differences Between Sexes
There are no clearly discernible differences in lifespan between male and female turkey vultures. Both sexes develop at similar rates and occupy the same roles in flock dynamics and parental care of chicks.
Data from banded wild vultures does not indicate either sex exhibits higher annual survival rates or a longer maximum lifespan. The same key risk factors of food availability, weather, disease, and predation impact the two sexes equally.
In captivity, where external mortality pressures are reduced, the greater physical size of females may allow them to slightly outlive males on average. But most studies suggest any sexual divergence in turkey vulture longevity is quite minor overall.
Final Thoughts
In summary, turkey vultures are relatively long-lived birds compared to many other similar-sized species. The typical turkey vulture lifespan in the wild ranges from 16-30 years, with an average of around 20 years. However, captive birds in protective care frequently live into their late 30s or 40s thanks to consistent resources and healthcare.
A turkey vulture’s age and stage of life history correlates closely with risks of mortality. Young birds face high fatality rates until reaching adulthood. Prime breeding adults exhibit greater annual survival. At advanced ages, mortality rates climb again as physiology declines. Achieving the 30 year max lifespan in nature is uncommon and requires beating the odds.
So while they may not always get their due credit, turkey vultures are impressively enduring scavengers that persist and thrive across decades in the habitats they inhabit. Their unique adaptations allow turkey vultures to clean up carrion and circulate nutrients through ecosystems for many years over their long lifespans.