How do turkey vultures fly so high and effortlessly without seemingly flapping a wing?
The turkey vulture is fairly awkward on the ground, and has an ungainly, hopping walk. It really must put forth a great deal of effort in order to launch itself upward—it flaps its wings while pushing with its feet and hopping off the ground. But when it reaches the upper air, it becomes a true master of flight. The vulture holds its wings in a shallow V-shape and often tips from side to side as it soars. The flight of the turkey vulture is considered to be a classic example of static soaring flight—the wings are flapped very infrequently as the bird takes advantage of the rising thermals (warm, upper air currents) to stay soaring. The action is at once both effortless and motionless as the wings catch and float on the air currents high above the earth. It can stay aloft for long periods of time, simply soaring masterfully with little or no physical exertion. Why was there a large group of turkey vultures (75 or more) circling high above our neighborhood bonfire on a late afternoon in
