Not Our National Emblem

This bird is not our National Emblem (the Bald Eagle).

 

Instead, my picture is of a Turkey Vulture, a bird with a 6ft wingspan, that has been around since prehistoric time. It very important as nature's recycler and scavenger. TVs (as the Sierra Clubbers like to call them) do not kill their food, they eat animals that are already dead. To find their meals, they use their keen sense of smell.

 

The attached picture shows a Turkey Vulture sunning itself. The sun provides Vitamin D and increases the body temperature before flight.

I shot my picture this morning, at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma.