The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-08-15
THE TURKEY BUZZARD.
FAMILIAR TALK ABOUT A COMMON
YET UNFAMILIAR BIRD.

FAMILIAR TALK ABOUT A COMMON |
YET UNFAMILIAR BIRD.
It's unity as Natures scnvenger--Won
derful sight and scent-science PuE-
zled by ITS FIight-Is It n Model for
the Coming Flying DIschinet
The great North American vulture,
popularity known as the turkey buzzard,
belongs with the vultures and not with
the buzzards It's large black body, red
head, and unfeathered neck give it, when
not in fight, sufficient resemblance to the
turkey to make the first part Of its name
somewhat appropriate. Popular names
are proverbially slow to change, and our
vulture will probably continue to be
known as the turkey buzzard for centuies
TO come.
The habits of this bird are such as to
make it very useful to man in warm eli
mates. In many of our Southern States
it is protected by law on account of its
utility as a general scavenger. In that
part of the country farmers seldom bury
| their dead cattle and horses, but drag
them away to an unused or gullywashed
field, and in few days little remains but
the dried skin and bones.
When carcass is first left in open sight,
although no buzzard may be within miles
of the spot, in few minutes black specks
are seen against the sky and as they
come nearer are recognized as turkey
buzzards. Meanwhile many others have
approached unseen, and are flying near
the ground in a direct line toward the
carcass. Sometimes the birds, discovering
the canion by their powers Of smell only,
fly around the sky in great circles,
shortening at each revolution the radius
of their motion, and slowly descending
until the object Of their search comes in
sight.
1t was for long time an open question
with naturalists in what way buzzards
discover their food at long distances;
whether by scent or sight 1t is now
known that they have both senses highly
developed They often come many miles
to freshly killed meat before it has begun
to decay, provided it is left in open sight.
On the other hand, they fly from long
distances when attracted by offensive
carIion that is entirely concealed from
the eye.
South to see as many as 90 buzzards cir
cling in the air above the body Of dead
horse, COW, or sheep, while the ground
may be black with as many more, each
trying to get nip at the carcass. When
the supply is at all adequate to the de-
mand these charming epicures gorge
themselves to such an extent upon their
dainty banquet that their fight becomes
heavy and labored, and in extreme cases
they are unable to rise from the ground.
Buzzards usually roost in pairs or in
small companies near the spot where
they have nested. Occasionally, how
ever, they congregate in vast numbers
within limited space.
Instinct teaches buzzards to select fol
their roosting places the most inaccessi-
BILE spots. In mountainous and hilly sec
tions they make choice of lodges in rocky
cliffs Their nests are roughly built Of
sticks; the eggs are large, of a greenisf
! hue with brown blotches and irregular
markings.
Leaving now the consideration of the
terrestrial habits of our vultufe, let us fol
low it to its aerial domain. As the swan
, awkward and ungainly on the land, is tht
: most graceful of swimmers in its proper
= element, so the buzzard, clumsy and re
a pulsive on the ground, reveals itself whel
: on the wing as the incarnation Of grace
:, Its fight, above that of all other birds, i
!. the perfect poetry of motion. Even tn
!. lingly eagle can not lay claim to the eas,
!, grace and the wonderful poise that char
acterize the flight of this plebeian amonl
/ the feathered tribes.
= Although spending the greater part o
his time on the wing, searching for hi
: food on the ground while himself in tn
air, the buzzard seldom makes a violen
y or even a rapid motion of his wings. o.
almost stationary pinions, stretched a
their full expanse, he seems to soar rathe
than fly, to sail rather than row. NOV
IA and then he flaps his wings to gain me
? mentum, but all else is an easy, glidin
"a sweep. And yet, with all this apparen
n absence of exertion, his speed is trul
\. phenomenal. AS you watch his approac
N from a great distance, at first a mel
70 speck on the sky, in a few moments tn
winged magician is passing over you
n head with the speed of an express train.
Is There is reason to accept the assertio
r of DIR. Coues in his !" Key to the Birds {
90 North America, that science has as "
RI failed to explain the fight of the turke
as buzzard. The most surprising featm
A of its motion is its progress against resi-
tance while soaring with apparent
,t steady wings. After a few flaps to rais
m it from the ground the momentum thu
or secured seems sufficient to enab
avn the bird to soar in widening and ri
er ing circles until it reaches an altituC
of perhaps half a mile.
va When wind is blowing this upwai
progress is not difficult to account 70
While moving with the wind the bird n
be quires a momentum that carries it aero
ee and against the wind, and by setting i
n wings at the proper angle is at the san
,is time lifted by the air current. This
We sound philosophy; but how are we
at account for its upward progress in dea
no calm?
When the coming flying machine shi
astonish a waiting world, it may be th
it will soar rather than fly, and that
St will be modelled in part from the gre
les black vulture, whose magical evolutio
are have thus far defed the theories of S
,ge cnce.