The Turkey Vulture is the big, dark bird you see circling over valleys and ridges with its wings held in a shallow V, rocking gently from side to side as it rides the air. In Oregon it is a common sight from spring through fall, most often over lower elevations and broad valleys, and it is uncommon over the highest mountains in summer. Many people count its return each year as an early sign of spring.
Turkey Vultures are scavengers that clean up dead animals, and they prefer fairly fresh carrion. Unlike most birds they have a keen sense of smell, and they also watch the ground and other scavengers as they soar. They cannot tear open large carcasses on their own, so they tend to feed on smaller animals.
They build little or no nest, laying one to three eggs on the floor of a sheltered spot such as a cliff crevice, cave, hollow log or dense thicket. Young birds make their first flights when about nine to ten weeks old, and a nestling that feels threatened defends itself by hissing and throwing up. In the Northwest, vultures roost together in small groups, and many migrate south for the winter. Lead swallowed from animals killed by hunters is one of the threats they face.
How to identify it
A very large, blackish brown bird about 25 to 32 inches long with a wingspan near 6 feet. Adults have a small, bare red head; young birds have a gray head. From below, the long wings look two-toned, with black front halves and silvery gray flight feathers, and in flight they are held in a shallow V while the bird rocks and tilts.
Look-alikes
Eagles, hawks and other large soaring birds lack the combination of a shallow V wing posture, side-to-side rocking and two-toned underwings. A perched adult, with its bare red head, is hard to mistake.
Habitat
Soars over open and partly wooded country, valleys, foothills and forest edges, especially near cliffs, rocky areas or woods that offer nest sites. Most common at lower elevations and uncommon over the highest mountains in summer.
Sightings in the forest
183 research-grade sightings in Mt. Hood National Forest on iNaturalist, most recently on September 24, 2026. See them on iNaturalist →