The 2 Types of Vultures Found In Michigan! (2023)
What types of vultures can you find in Michigan?
Lucky for you, no matter where you live in Michigan, you should be able to find vultures nearby!
These birds are not considered attractive or “pretty” to most people. Regardless, vultures are incredibly important to the environment because they eat dead animals that most other predators can’t stomach. Eliminating the rotting meat helps stop the spread of tuberculosis, rabies, and more!
Vultures are perfectly adapted to a life of consuming carrion. For example, their featherless heads and necks help keep themselves clean as they insert themselves inside decaying meat. Also, vultures have powerful stomach acid that allows them to be exposed to nasty things without problems, such as rabies, Black Plague, botulism, distemper, and anthrax.
Below is a list of the 2 species of vultures in Michigan!
#1. Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
The Turkey Vulture is common in Michigan. Also called Turkey Buzzards, they are relatively easy to identify, as they are all black, with a bald red head and a pinkish bill. The name derives from their loose resemblance to a Wild Turkey.
Once you know what to look for, it’s easy to spot these vultures while they are flying. Look for a large raptor soaring in the sky making wobbly circles, whose wings are raised high enough to look like the letter “V.” It’s thought that this flying style helps them glide at low altitudes, which keeps them close to the ground to smell for food.
Turkey Vulture Range Map
Turkey Vultures use their highly developed sense of smell to locate carrion. Their sense of smell is so sensitive that they can detect dead meat from 8 miles (13 km) away. These birds actually prefer to eat fresh food, and they try to get to animals as quickly as possible after their death.
These birds are dark, and they absorb heat easily. To cool themselves off, they defecate on their legs to cool the blood and help them moderate their body temperature. Let’s just collectively say “Ewww!” and move on!
Look for Turkey Vultures in Michigan wherever you can find dead animals.
As you can imagine, they are often seen along roadsides eating animals that have been hit by cars. They are also frequently observed soaring the skies in the open countryside.
When these raptors are frightened, they can be so full of meat that they cannot rapidly fly away. In this case, you may see them projectile vomit what they’ve eaten to lose weight and escape. If they target the predator’s face, the material can be blinding. Bear in mind that even if they miss, they are vultures that are eating rotting meat, so just try to imagine the odor.
The only sound a Turkey Vulture can manage is hissing. They lack vocal organs. *Press PLAY above to hear the sound they make.*
Lastly, these scavengers are popular and have an entire day dedicated to them! The town of Hinckley (OH) celebrates “Buzzard Day” on March 15th every year. It’s an event that brings the community together as they welcome Turkey Vultures back from migration for the summer.
And here’s a fun fact:
I grew up in Hinckley and used to attend this event yearly, participating in everything from the pancake breakfast to helping count the returning vultures! 🙂
Length: 25-32 inches / 64-81 cm
Weight: 2-5 lbs / 0.8-2.4 kg
Wingspan: 63-72 inches / 160-183 cm
#2. Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
Black Vultures primarily eat carrion, but unlike most other vultures, they are known to kill animals to feed on fresh meat. It’s not uncommon for them to prey on living skunks, opossums, and livestock, such as baby pigs, calves, and lambs.
These birds get their name because their entire body is covered in black feathers and a bald head that features black skin. But as they are soaring, you can see silver feathers on the underside of their wings.
It’s easy to tell a Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture apart.
Just remember that Black Vultures have black-colored heads and are short and compact, where Turkey Vultures have red-colored heads and are longer and lankier. If they are soaring above you, Black Vultures will display silvery wingtips. Turkey Vultures have gray feathers that cover the majority of the underside of their wings, and they also fly with their wings slightly raised, which resembles the letter “V.”
Black Vultures are monogamous and will stay with their mate for many years.
The loyal pair are excellent parents and will defend their nest, eggs, and young vigorously. Interestingly, these vultures build their nests on the ground in stumps, caves, thickets, brush piles, or hollow trees. No nesting material is used either!
Baby vultures are fed by their parents for up to 8 months, and the entire family develops strong bonds. Large communal roosts are common, where relatives can gather to meet up, and unrelated vultures are aggressively chased off.
Black Vulture Range Map
Look for Black Vultures in both forested and open areas, although these birds are relatively rare to see in Michigan. They prefer to roost and nest in dense forests but forage for food along roads, fields, and other open spaces.
Black Vultures are commonly seen hanging around Turkey Vultures, and it’s not because they are best friends. Between the two species, Turkey Vultures have a MUCH better sense of smell. Black Vultures use this fact to their advantage and follow Turkey Vultures to a carcass. And many times, the more aggressive Black Vultures will chase away their vulture cousins to have the food all to themselves. I wonder if Turkey Vultures ever feel used? 🙂
Like most vultures, these birds are mostly silent. The only noises you may hear are grunting and hissing. Trust me; you won’t be hearing any lyrical tunes from these birds!
Length: 22-29 inches / 56-74 cm
Weight: 3½-6½ lbs / 1.6-3 kg
Wingspan: 51-66 inches / 1.3-1.7 meters
Do you need help identifying vultures?
Here are a few books and resources you can purchase that will provide assistance! (Links below take you to Amazon)
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National Geographic Guide to the Birds of North America
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Birds of Prey of the East and/or Birds of Prey of the West
Which vulture species have you seen before in Michigan?
Leave a comment below!
Our trees are full 40-60 early morn n evening turkey vultures. Been coming for many years ! This year they gathered February 5 2023 , I thought was a little early .. we have lost 5 trees in 28 years, it still don’t stop them from visiting us .. lol .. Jackson Michigan
Black Vulture in Livonia 4/4/23
Rarely see a turkey vulture in Benzie county. The sky is full of black buzzards everyday. I grew up in Benzie and only saw turkey vultures but they have largely disappeared as more black buzzards have taken over the past 10-15 years, and it makes me think they have pushed the turkey vultures out.
I drove up to my house in Oxford Mi and saw 2 huge all black birds grabbing at a dead animal. Took a couple pics when one went to a branch. No red so started searching what it was and black vulture came up. Never saw one before but when flying they are very big. Very interesting since I guess rare here.
Just saw 2 turkey vultures in ferndale, MI today monday Sept.27, 2022.
Also took some pictures- they looked pretty awesome!!
Didn’t know that they were that common in MI- (there was a dead carcass of an opossum in the road).
There’s a whole nest of vultures in “caveish” area in the church of pine rest by 68th and division, (southern Grand Rapids, MI). There’s at least 20 of them and although this website says turkey vultures are more common in MI, I’m pretty positive this is a community of black vultures. It said the vultures are monogamous and nest in communities. They often ride the thermal winds around here, and sometimes fly in bunches right over our house, especially when we have backyard fires in our backyard fire pit. There are dense forests, a stream, ponds, and fields around here too. They look creepy when sitting up on the church roof. (hunched over heads) But learning about them is cool, and takes away a lot of fear. They definitely look and act different than the crows or black birds or whatever they’re called.
We have many Turkey Buzzards around Holly, Mi but today I found a Black Vulture eating what appears to be a hawk in my neighbors yard. The smell was really bad and like rotten meat which makes sense. I took pictures from my cell phone.
Im going to pay better attention. I live in Holly Mi and have seen a large amount of Vultures swarming the area. We even had one swoop down over my head when I was with my granddaughter. I realized later there were raccoons on my roof.
Spotted a black vulture in Canton just off Cherry Hill Road near by Beck Road.
We have both turkey and black vultures nesting across the street from us in an abandoned barn and also another abandoned house down the road. We live in a rural area (Mears) and they have been nesting there at least as long as we having been living here albeit it short time 1.5 years. They do migrate. I don’t see them in winter
Do turkey vultures fly in circles high in the sky on thermals. I have observed this during the day near metro airport in Romulus, Mi?
No doubt about it. I just saw a really large black vulture tonight in Northern GR. Specifically on the roof of Bethany Christian. I thought it had to be something else but it was really big and black and the neck was very bald, unlike the turkey vulture. It looked like a small condor, and much bigger than black vultures are supposed to be. I wish I could have gotten a photo, but it didn’t want to stay on the side of the roof closest to me for very long.
HAVE A PAIR OF BABY VULTURES IN MY OLD BLIND IN CLARE MI
SCARED THE HECK OUT ME WHEN I WENT IN B
BEEN THERE FOR MARCH NOW AUG
WILL THE MOM ATACK IF I GET TO CLOSE
CAN SEND PICKS THEY ARE GETTING BIG