Turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) are large, lanky vultures found throughout much of North and South America. Despite their name, turkey vultures are not closely related to turkeys, nor do they prey on them specifically. So why are turkey vultures called “turkey” vultures? There are a few theories behind the origin of their common name.
Theories on the “Turkey” Name
Their Bald, Red Heads Resemble the Head of a Male Turkey
One of the most popular theories is that early European colonists thought the bald, red head and neck of the turkey vulture looked similar to the head and neck of a male wild turkey, an animal they were familiar with. This resemblance led them to start calling the vulture a “turkey buzzard” or “turkey vulture.”
They Were Confused with Turkey Fowl
Another theory suggests that early settlers were simply confused between turkey vultures and wild turkeys. Both birds are of similar size and occupy some of the same habitats. Turkey vultures may have been mistakenly called turkeys until the name “turkey vulture” stuck.
Their Vocalizations Sound Like Turkeys
Turkey vultures make hog-like grunts that could be said to resemble the sounds made by wild turkeys. It’s possible that the grunting vocalizations of turkey vultures reminded settlers of the calls of wild turkeys, leading them to associate the vultures with turkeys.
They Have A Turkey-Like Stance
When standing on the ground with their wings folded, turkey vultures have a slouched stance with their head held forward in a manner vaguely reminiscent of a turkey. Early observers may have thought the vultures had a decidedly turkey-like outline when seen standing in this posture.
They Forage in Fields Like Turkeys
Turkeys and turkey vultures both spend time wandering open fields and meadows looking for food. Early colonists who saw turkey vultures foraging in the same fields frequented by wild turkeys may have linked the two species together in their minds, leading to the turkey vulture name.
No Connection to Turkeys
Some experts think there is no connection between turkey vultures and turkeys. The name “turkey” may have been used by early settlers in reference to any large American bird that was different from European species. If so, the turkey vulture name comes from an incorrect association rather than any real relationship with turkeys.
Turkey Vulture Naming Practices in Other Languages
Looking at how turkey vultures are named in other languages provides clues as to how they got their common name in English:
- In Spanish, they are called zopilote, which comes from the Nahuatl (Aztec) word tzopilotl meaning “dirt or excrement eater.”
- In Portuguese, they are called urubu, which comes from the Tupi word urubu meaning “bald bird.”
- In French, they are called urubu à tête rouge, meaning “red-headed urubu.”
- In Italian, they are called avvoltoio testarossa or “red-headed vulture.”
The names in these Romance languages focus on the appearance, specifically the bald, red head. This lends support to the idea that early American settlers thought the vulture’s head resembled that of a male wild turkey.
The Turkey Vulture’s Way of Feeding Led to Associations with Turkeys
Turkey vultures have a habit of foraging for food in open fields, often alongside grazing cattle. Their presence near cattle and the way they fed likely brought to mind images of turkeys pecking about farmyards for seed and grain. Observers who saw turkey vultures scavenging alongside livestock may have been reminded of domestic turkeys, leading to the name “turkey buzzards.”
Turkey Vulture Description
To understand why turkey vultures were associated with turkeys, it helps to know what turkey vultures look like. Here are some key physical features and traits:
- Adults are mostly blackish-brown overall with gray flight feathers.
- Their heads and necks are bright red and featherless.
- They reach 24-28 inches (60-70 cm) in length with wingspans around 5-6 feet (150-180 cm).
- Males and females look nearly identical.
- Their bald heads and necks help keep them clean while feeding.
- They have excellent senses of smell and sight.
- Turkey vultures soar with their wings in a V-shape.
- They migrate south for winter and return north for summer.
- Their diet consists mostly of carrion, or dead animals.
Unique Adaptations
Turkey vultures have specialized physical and behavioral adaptations for their scavenging lifestyle:
- Keen Sense of Smell – They can detect gases emitted by decaying carcasses from up to a mile away.
- Bald Head – The bare skin prevents bacteria from feathers contacting food.
- Strong Immune System – Their gut bacteria neutralize toxins from rotting meat.
- Soaring Flight – Their distinctive dihedral wings are efficient for spotting carcasses.
- Vomit Defense – When threatened, they regurgitate to deter predators.
Turkey Vulture Habits and Behavior
To understand why turkey vultures were associated with turkeys early on, it’s helpful to compare some key habits and behaviors:
Turkey Vultures
- Scavengers – Feed mainly on carrion located by soaring over open country.
- Cooperative feeders – Congregate at carcasses with conspecifics and other scavengers.
- Slow, graceful fliers – Soar for hours each day searching for food.
- Roost communally – Gather in groups of up to several hundred on cliffs, in trees, or on human structures.
- Migrate from northern ranges in winter to southern ranges in summer.
- Make grunting noises when disturbed.
Wild Turkeys
- Omnivores – Feed on nuts, seeds, insects, and some small vertebrates.
- Feed solitarily or in small flocks – Do not congregate in large groups at carcasses.
- Capable fliers but usually walk and run when foraging.
- Roost in small groups in trees.
- Generally non-migratory. Male groups dissolve after mating season.
- Make a variety of clucks, purrs, yelps, and gobbles.
While there are certainly some behavioral similarities, several key turkey vulture habits like soaring flight, scavenging, and communal roosting differ greatly from wild turkeys. Still, there are enough general similarities that early observers could have linked the two species based on shared behaviors.
Where Turkey Vultures and Turkeys overlap
Despite their different lifestyles, wild turkeys and turkey vultures do overlap in some aspects of their ranges and habitat use:
Range Overlap
- Turkey vultures are found year-round through much of the eastern and southern United States.
- Wild turkeys overlap through most of the eastern and central United States.
- The two species broadly overlap across eastern North America.
Habitat Overlap
- Turkey vultures frequent open habitats like pastures, fields, and savannahs.
- Wild turkeys use similar open or semi-open areas, especially for feeding.
- Both may be found in open agricultural areas or grasslands.
Behavioral Overlap
- Turkey vultures often follow grazing cattle to feed on insects flushed up and to scavenge.
- Turkeys will visit cattle pastures to pick undigested seeds from cow manure.
- Both species may be seen wandering cattle pastures looking for food.
This overlap in range, habitat use, and behavior helps explain how early colonists may have associated the two species in their naming. Where present together, wild turkeys and turkey vultures could be observed frequenting some of the same habitats and fields.
Associations between Turkey Vultures and Wild Turkeys
Given the limited similarities and overlap between turkey vultures and wild turkeys, what specific things may have led settlers to associate the two species? Here are some specific behaviors, traits, and interactions that likely contributed:
Physical Size and Silhouette
Both species are large, long-necked birds reaching over two feet in length that might generally be confused by early settlers at a distance. When standing, their broad outline likely seemed similar.
Bald, Red Heads
The bare red head and neck of turkey vultures arguably look similar to the blue and red colors on the bald head of male turkeys. This distinctive shared characteristic seems the most likely reason for the name.
Foraging Associations
Seeing both species walking slowly through fields searching for food no doubt led some observers to associate them together in their minds.
Vocalizations
The grunts and hisses turkey vultures make could seem reminiscent of some turkey vocalizations to unfamiliar settlers.
Range and Habitat Overlap
Seeing the two species frequenting the same areas reinforced connections between them. Where present together, turkey vultures were likely noticed by settlers observing wild turkeys.
Why the Turkey Name Stuck
Once European colonists in America started widely calling the vultures “turkey buzzards” or just “turkeys,” the name stuck and became firmly entrenched in English. Here are some reasons why the turkey vulture name persisted and remains in use today:
- The “turkey” name was spread through early written accounts and books by New World explorers and settlers.
- Later naturalists and scholars retained the turkey vulture name in their own writings.
- Alternative names like “carrion crow” never gained the same widespread usage.
- The turkey vulture’s red head continued to suggest a link to male turkeys.
- No organized effort was made to replace the misleading turkey name.
- The name “turkey vulture” remained embedded in the culture and language over time.
Despite the name being based on a mistaken association, it persisted through tradition and became too established to replace. The long-standing familiarity with calling the birds “turkey vultures” has kept the name in use centuries after its origination.
Conclusion
While turkey vultures have little in common with turkeys beyond some superficial similarities, historical connections drawn between the two species along with the birds’ shared traits seem responsible for the turkey vulture’s unusual name. Specifically, the bald red head that may have reminded early colonists of male turkeys, the broad similarity in size and outline, and the fact that both birds foraged in some of the same open habitats likely led to the association that in time became a lasting name. The misapplied name “turkey” stuck and remains entrenched to this day, despite the fact that turkey vultures share no close relationship with turkeys and rarely interact with them in the wild.