If you are interested in birds that are majestic regardless of their ability to properly fly then Wild Turkeys and Turkey Vultures will intrigue you.
These two birds have the term “turkey” and their featherless redheads in common which is why most people deem them to be similar species.
However, these birds have significant differences in their appearance, habitat, diet, behavior, color, etc that make them uniquely distinct from each other.
After going through my article, you will turn into an ace on the proper identification of Wild Turkey vs. Turkey Vultures with appropriate knowledge of the basics of these two types.
Moreover, comprehending these facts helps everyone appreciate the birds’ qualities and their existence.
Without further ado, get ready to become an expert!
Contents
Wild Turkey vs Turkey Vulture: Descriptions
Before we get into the actual dissimilarities, let’s start by getting to know the basics of these birds first to better understand “wild turkey vs turkey vulture”.
Wild Turkey
Source: @fl_fowlmouthoutdoors
- Scientific Name: Meleagris gallopavo
- Size (adult male): 100 to 125 cm (39 to 49 in)
- Locality: North America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: Late February to June
The wild turkey, the almost spherical game bird, is one of the most common among the Galliformes and was named after a hunting expedition. The adult males are known as toms or gobblers whereas the juvenile males are known as Jakes.
Moreover, female wild turkeys are known as hens. They are seen inhabiting scattered open areas. Despite its appearance, this bird has a strong vision and wary nature.
Turkey Vulture
Source: @becker.pix
- Scientific Name: Cathartes aura
- Size: 62 to 81 cm (24 to 32 in)
- Locality: Southern Canada to the southernmost end of South America
- Status: Least Concern
- Breeding Season: March to June
Turkey vultures, also known as buzzards turkey buzzards or John crows, or carrion crows, are the most common among the new world vultures. They are seen inhabiting, especially open and semi-open areas. The first part of the species name derives from “turkey” of the “male wild turkey” and the term “vulture” came from the Latin “vulturus” meaning “tearer”. Its name refers to its food habits and its slight resemblance to the male wild turkey.
Wild Turkey vs Turkey Vulture: How to Identify?
While some people might find a bit too many similarities between a wild turkey and a turkey vulture, however, I assure you the number of differences is more in number.
These particular distinctions will help verify these two birds without having to match them with their pictures every time.
- Size: The wild turkey and the turkey vulture are both large compared to most other birds.
The adult female wild turkey is usually smaller compared to that of an adult male one.
However, in terms of size, in comparison with both sexes of the wild turkey, the turkey vultures are slightly smaller in size. The difference is not that visible to the naked eye.
Nonetheless, because of the stark difference in shape, you won’t need to bring out your measuring tapes.
- Shape: When it comes to shape, wild turkeys are more fluffed up, larger in size, with a small head and a long neck, and rounded tails with strong sexual dimorphism. Moreover, both sexes have beards.
On the other hand, turkey vultures have long and broad wings with comparatively shorter necks and long tails, and minimal sexual dimorphism.
- Color: For the turkey vultures, the body is usually brownish black, with a feather-less redhead and the wings are silver-grey undersides with contrasted dark-colored wing linings.
For the wild turkeys, on the contrary, the head and neck are featherless and red, and a bit of blue and white. Their wings have a contrast of dark and vividly striped white feathers.
Sometimes, they seem to lose the vividness of their brilliant colors because of parasites. A sudden dullness of color in feathers may indicate a signal of health.
These differences in size, shape, and color should be enough to identify these two types of birds effortlessly.
In-depth Differences
In this part of the article, we will get to know the differences between the two birds at a behavioral level.
Source: @paigepeterson_a
Habitat
Turkey vultures live in places with mixed conifer and hardwood such as roadsides, subtropical forests, pastures, deserts, hill or low mountainous areas, semi-deserts, agricultural land, etc.
On the other hand, wild turkeys are found in places such as woodsy backyards, marshes, forests, farms, forests of oaks and pines, etc.
Diet
The dietary preferences of these two birds are opposite. While wild turkeys are omnivores, the turkey vultures are carnivores.
Wild turkeys mostly prefer to eat plants, nuts, acorns, seeds, roots, berries, etc. Occasionally they consume insects, cow pastures, small reptiles such as lizards, and small snakes when available.
On the contrary, turkey vultures rarely eat anything like plants. They mostly feed on carrion, fish in the open, and sometimes insects as well.
Behavior and Protection
The turkey vultures forage independently but roost communally. They may become a victim of golden eagles, bald eagles, horned owls, foxes, etc. It stings and vomits to get away from the predator.
Wild turkeys have a good vision that helps them to hunt during the day but at night their eyesight worsens turning them into victims. Their predators include rat snakes, raccoons, wolves, domestic dogs, etc. They are usually not the first ones to attack unless startled or provoked. Hence it roosts communally to get away from the predator.
Vocalization
These two birds have distinctive vocal traits that help distinguish their callings. The wild turkey can produce different types of sounds as their callings, such as cluck, purr, gobble, yell, whine, kee-kee, putt, etc. Turkey vultures, on the contrary, will only produce grunts and hisses to communicate as they lack syrinx, the vocal organ of birds.
Below you will be able to hear the sounds which will help you identify their differences from one another by comparing them side by side.
Wild Turkey Sound
Turkey Vulture Sound
No. Of Subspecies
The difference in the number of subspecies between the two birds is quite close. Wild turkeys have a total of 6 subspecies. They are Eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris), Osceola wild turkeys, or Florida wild turkeys (M. g. Osceola), Rio Grande wild turkey (M. g. intermedia), Merriam’s wild turkey (M. g. merriami), Gould’s wild turkey (M. g. mexicana), South Mexican wild turkey (M. g. gallopavo).
Turkey vultures, on the other hand, have 5 subspecies. They are C. a. aura, C. a. jota, C. a. meridionalis, C. a. ruficollis, and C. a. septentrionalis.
Source: @johnlee3915
Flying Style
Turkey vultures can not walk on the ground effortlessly and take a lot of effort to take flight. While taking a flight their wings create a “V” shape while seen from the front.
Wild turkeys are heavier than most birds. Nonetheless, they can fly almost effortlessly in short bursts regardless of how they might appear. They fly close to the ground but with agility.
Lifespan
There is a huge difference in lifespan between a wild turkey and a turkey vulture.
While a wild turkey can live only from 3 to 5 years, turkey vultures can live up to 16 years in the wilderness.
State Game Bird
The wild turkey is considered the state game bird or wild game bird of four states in the US as they thrive in those parts of the states in a variety of habitats. The states that have designated this bird in this position are Alabama, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and South Carolina.
Turkey vultures on the other hand are not that popular and are deprived of the status of a state game bird or wild game bird.
Distribution
Among the two birds, wild turkeys are mostly found marginally in the Southern countries of Canada, the USA, northern and central Mexico, and some parts of New Zealand and Hawaii.
Turkey vultures, however, reside in the southern part while breeding in the northernmost regions of the USA and Canada.
Source: @rgriffiths_photography
Breeding and Nesting
For the turkey vultures, the breeding ritual includes the vultures getting rounded and hopping and flapping of wings. They do not bother to make even a shallow nest, rather the eggs are laid on almost a bare nest. The females then lay two or rarely three eggs.
For the wild turkey, however, the ritual is much more than flapping its wings. The male spreads his tail and wattles around while drumming or booming to attract the female wild turkey. There is only a small nest for laying eggs where the female can lay from 10-14 eggs.
Migration
Wild turkeys do not migrate. However, they might move around to get proper sunlight in the winter, and in summer they flock around in smaller groups. They are seen to take shelter on higher canopies to cover themselves against strong winter wind.
Turkey vultures, on the contrary, can be partly migratory, long-distance migrants, permanent residents, nomadic, etc. It mostly depends on the part of the state they live in.
Order
These two birds have dissimilarities in their orders as well which is why they are so different from each other.
While the wild turkeys belong to “Galliformes” the turkey vultures belong to “Accipitriformes”.
Similarities between Wild Turkey and Turkey Vulture
In terms of size and appearance, the only similarity a wild turkey and a turkey vulture have is being larger compared to other birds and possessing no feathers on the head.
Moreover, they both receive protection that prevents their extinction.
Hence these two birds might have more differences than similarities. We should take a look at those as well to fully appreciate the beauty of their differences.
Below is a table of wild turkey vs turkey vultures highlighting the summary of my discussion within half a minute!
| Categories | Wild Turkey | Turkey Vulture |
| Color | Dark Blackish or Grey body with shiny bronze feathers | Brownish Black with Silver Gray flight feathers |
| Order | Galliformes | Accipitriformes |
| Geographical Location | North America | Southern Canada to the southernmost end of South America. |
| Habitats | Softwood and hardwood habitats | Open and semi-open areas |
| Species | 6 | 5 |
| Flight Speed | Fast and agile | Comparatively slow |
| Diet | Omnivore | Carnivore |
| Vocalization | Clucks, purrs, gobbles, yelps, wines, kee-kees, and putts. | Low hisses and grunts |
| Lifespan | 3 to 5 years | Up to 16 years |
| State Game Bird | Alabama, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. | None |
FAQ
This FAQ section will provide further information on wild turkeys and turkey vultures that will fuel your interest to know them better.
Q: What are turkey vultures known for?
Ans: Turkey vultures are known for their keen sense of smell. This bird has one of the largest olfactory systems of all birds enabling it to smell carrion from miles apart.
Q: What are the wild turkeys known for?
Ans: The wild turkeys are known for their extraordinary vision. Their eyesight enables them to have a more clear sight than 20/20 vision in color.
Q: What is unusual about turkey vultures?
Ans: Even though turkey vultures are carnivores, they can not kill their prey. These scavenger birds’ feet are similar to that of a chicken’s feet rather than those of a hawk or an eagle. However, they complete their lack of power in feet with their immensely strong beaks.
Thoughts
At the end of the article, you will be sure of what characteristics create the difference between the two birds in question.
Moreover, as you can guess by their names, the omnivorous wild turkey and the carnivorous turkey vultures are not your regular birds. They are strong and capable of proving their worth with their existence and their role in the place where they belong.
Regardless of their differences, they both play a noteworthy role in creating a balance in our ecosystem.
Wild turkeys get rid of small insects while turkey vultures play their part in our nature as a clean-up crew. Turkey vultures not only get rid of the carrions but also prevent the spreading of dangerous diseases.
Hence, comprehending “wild turkey vs. turkey vulture” is important to ensure their preservation.
They might not be close to extinction, however, they deserve every bit of maintenance and supervision like any other bird.
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Audio Credits: xeno-canto
