OFO News June 2023 19 WHILE WE COMMONLY see Turkey Vul- tures soaring overhead or roosting in large trees or hydro towers, most of us have never seen a Turkey Vulture nest or chick, surprising for such a conspic- uous bird. Where do they nest, and how does a chick develop before reaching maturity? Turkey Vultures have two essential requirements for nesting sites: a degree of darkness and isolation from people. They do not build nests but lay their eggs in caves, crevices, cavities in trees, under logs, abandoned nests and increasingly in abandoned buildings. Turkey Vultures will reuse nesting sites from year to year. They usually lay two eggs. Incuba- tion is shared between the parents and takes about five weeks. Vultures being partly precocial, chicks are born cov- ered in bright white down and with eyes open. From the beginning, they are mobile and capable of exploring the area around the nest site. Since vultures are also partly altricial, until they fledge the chicks are dependent on the adults for food, which both adults supply by regurgitation. The chicks appear entirely white for the first five or so weeks, and only then do the first black feathers start to peek through the down. Primaries grow first, followed by tail feathers, the remainder of the wing feathers and then the body feathers. The head is featherless, prob- ably to help keep clean when feeding inside a carcass (although recent re- search suggests the bare head may play a role in regulating body temperature). There is no consensus in the litera- ture on when the chicks will fledge, other than agreement that their devel- opment will be slow and exhausting for the adults. Fledging has been estimated to begin as early as eight weeks and take as long as 13 weeks. After about six weeks, chicks will begin to perch at the edge of nest sites and continue to explore the immediate area. They are good climbers, using their beaks, legs, feet and wings. Young birds have a gray head, only acquiring the familiar red head when fully mature. Juveniles disperse from the nest site after fledging and no longer associate with the adults. Young birds form communal roosts and migrate independently of adults, finding their way south.   Lynne Freeman is a former OFO President and remains active on the Board of Direc- tors, taking a special interest in the Young Birders Program. She collaborated here with Don Johnston. out its food daily, and it soon bonded with me, often greeting me in the morning with a little dance on the deck railing. As we prepared to leave the cottage in mid-September, we decided we could not just leave the bird. A call to an experienced bird bander produced an immediate offer of help. After many failed attempts to catch the bird, our helper finally secured it in a safe grip. We placed the vulture in a large box for a ride to a wildlife rehabilitation centre, where they hoped to be able to “wild” it before releasing it. A recent check with the centre revealed that the bird had been placed with another vulture and, after initially expecting to be fed by the staff, was now avoiding them. They remain hope- ful that a release will be possible. Postscript: My wife and I were in the area of our cottage in early April this year, so we stopped by to see how it had survived the winter. There, circling low over the cottage, was a pair of vul- tures. We arranged for the crawl space to be blocked. Don Johnston is a long-time Toronto birder and an OFO member since 1994. While writing this article, Don referenced Paul J. Baicich and Colin J.O. Harrison’s 2005 book, Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. By September 14, the maturing juvenile is captured for its trip to a wildlife rehabilitation centre. Photo by Don Johnston Nesting habits of Turkey Vultures Where do they nest, and how does a chick develop before reaching maturity? BY LYNNE FREEMAN AND DON JOHNSTON