Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Synopsis:
Very widespread, though less so in the Columbia Basin and parts
of southeastern Oregon.
Habitat Associations:
Feeds over a wide variety of
vegetation types, but the nests - often on the ground -- are
mainly restricted to woodland areas, boulder fields, and caves.
strong
Sitka Spruce-W. Hemlock Maritime Forest (337724 acres)
Mountain Hemlock Montane Forest (331694 acres)
True Fir-Hemlock Montane Forest (1582228 acres)
Shasta Red Fir-Mountain Hemlock Forest (54084 acres)
Whitebark-Lodgepole Pine Montane Forest (1323 acres)
Ponderosa Pine-dominant Mixed Conifer Forest (419978 acres)
Northeast Mixed Conifer Forest (3002272 acres)
Jeffery Pine Forest/Woodland (53780 acres)
Conifer Woodland on Serpentine Bedrock (51874 acres)
Lodgepole Pine Forest/Woodland (246157 acres)
Douglas Fir-W. Hemlock-W. Red Cedar Forest (6616951 acres)
Douglas Fir-Port Orford Cedar Forest (166447 acres)
Douglas Fir-Mixed Deciduous Forest (2934 acres)
Douglas Fir-White Fir/Tanoak-Madrone Mixed Forest (1126272 acres)
Douglas Fir/White Oak Forest (196688 acres)
Ponderosa Pine Forest/Woodland (4671352 acres)
Douglas Fir dominant - Mixed Conifer Forest (2553242 acres)
Ponderosa Pine/White Oak Forest & Woodland (163195 acres)
Ponderosa Pine-W. Juniper Woodland (201479 acres)
Ponderosa-Lodgepole Pine on Pumice (1376710 acres)
W. Juniper Woodland (3708745 acres)
Red Alder (124177 acres)
Aspen Groves (22267 acres)
Mixed Conifer/Mixed Deciduous Forest (1394521 acres)
Siskiyou Mtns Mixed Deciduous Forest (200392 acres)
South coast Mixed Forest (2888 acres)
Siskiyou Mtns Shrubland on Serpentine Bedrock (32403 acres)
Manzanita-dominant Shrubland (15439 acres)
Sagebrush Steppe (4739469 acres)
Low-Dwarf Sagebrush (365243 acres)
Salt Desert Scrub Shrubland (556928 acres)
Northeast Canyon Grass & Shrubland (379812 acres)
Grassland & Fir-Ponderosa Interspersed (374898 acres)
Edges of Cropland/Pasture/Orchard (5756456 acres)
Western Oregon Riverine Woodland (27749 acres)
Streamside/Wetland Shrubland (2171 acres)
some
White Oak Forest (115577 acres)
Edges of Recently Cutover/Burnt Forest (1831513 acres)
Coastal Dunes & Ponds with Widely Scattered Shrubs/Trees (43358 acres)
lesser
Subalpine Fir-Lodgepole Pine Montane Conifer (655442 acres)
Coastal Lodgepole Forest (757 acres)
Mountain Mahogany Shrubland (1378 acres)
Big Sagebrush Shrubland (11630498 acres)
Bitterbrush-Big Sagebrush Shrubland (110563 acres)
Subalpine Grassland (92435 acres)
Subalpine Scattered Trees & Shrubs (76261 acres)
Northeast Modified Grassland (526387 acres)
Coastal Headland Grass & Shrubland (2285 acres)
Wet Montane Meadow (2098 acres)
Seasonally Wet Playa (88592 acres)
Urban/Residential (603282 acres)
Exposed Tidal Flat (2165 acres)
Lava/Pumice with Widely Scattered Trees/Shrubs (155896 acres)
Edges of Freshwater Marsh (19950 acres)
Relative Detectability:
Easy to spot individual birds, but nests are difficult to
find.
Challenge:
Determine if apparent absence as a breeder in some of Columbia
Basin is real.