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This Morning Outsideby Diane PorterSeptember 15, 2010 This turkey vulture circled overhead as if curious about me, or so it seemed to me. Notice the missing tail feathers. See below for what's happening here.
But these are birds of the sky, and they have to retain their ability to fly. So they replace only a few feathers at a time. This bird has already replaced the outermost tail feathers, which is why the ones see are in good condition. They're still short, though, because they aren't fully grown yet. The central feathers are gone, pushed out by the new feathers that will replace them. The gap lets us get a good veiw of the feet and taloned toes, which are usually inconspicuous against the tail feathers. Watching the molting process gives us an little more insight into what is going on with these magnificent fliers when we see turkey vultures in fall. —Diane Porter
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