Missouri Turkey Vultures

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Welcome to the Missouri Turkey Vultures! This nest is located in the top of a barn in Marshall, Missouri.
The vultures have migrated south for the winter. We’ll turn the cam back on when they return.

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Marshall, MO
11:36 am, Feb 15, 2025
weather icon 36°F
Wind Wind 6 mph N
Precipitation Precipitation 0 inch
Snow Snow 0
Sunrise Sunrise 7:04 am
Sunset Sunset 5:50 pm
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About the Marshall Turkey Vultures

About the Turkey Vultures

The Marshall Turkey Vultures are nesting in an empty hay loft in a barn on private property near Marshall, MO. In general, vultures arrive in late March or early April and lay eggs in early May. Hatch begins about 28 days after the second egg is laid. Both parents incubate eggs and brood young.

Vultures eat primarily carrion. Although they prefer relatively fresh carrion, they are unable to tear carcasses open, which means they must wait until a carcass putrefies or is opened by mammals or larger vultures. This may be why they have been documented following bald eagles and black vultures.

Adult Turkey Vultures regurgitate food for their young, who fledge roughly sixty days after hatching. To learn more about turkey vultures in general, please follow this link to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website.

Adults

Although vultures are classified as a member of the order  Accipitriformes, and so related to hawks, eagles, and falcons, males and female birds are similar in size and lack the strong feet and talons of most Accipitriforme birds. Turkey Vultures do not have a syrinx, so they grunt, stamp, and hiss instead of calling, singing, chattering, or otherwise making vocalizations that we associate with birds.

Nests

Turkey vultures lay eggs in dark, quiet recesses, including rock outcrops, mammal burrows, hollow logs, thickets, hollow trees, abandoned stick nests, and abandoned buildings. Nest sites must be dark and isolated from human disturbance.

Quick facts
Common name: Turkey vulture
Scientific name: Cathartes aura
Both Sexes
Length: 25.2-31.9 in (64-81 cm) | Weight: 70.5 oz (2000 g)
Wingspan: 66.9-70.1 in (170-178 cm)
Lifespan: 20+ years in the wild. The oldest known turkey vulture, Tolouse, is 38 years old, and lives at the San Francisco Zoo.

Turkey Vulture Vocalization
This vocalization was taken from our cam in 2013. It includes two young vultures food begging and chasing a parent.

Learn More About Bald Eagles
An egg in cross section, modified from Romanoff and Romanoff, 1949

How long does it take a bald eagle to lay an egg?

How long does it take a bald eagle to lay an egg? We think that female bald eagles begin laying eggs five to ten days after productive mating begins.

December 11, 2023: DNF and the big stick!

How Much Weight Can a Bald Eagle Carry?

On December 11 of 2023, DNF arrived with a large stick that she struggled to place. How much weight can eagles carry?

March 30, 2018: Mrs. North's brood patch

What is a brood patch?

Daylight length, or photoperiod, strongly influences hormone production in birds. In the northern hemisphere, our story begins shortly after the winter solstice in December. As daylight length increases, a cascade of hormones causes birds’ gonads to swell in preparation for reproduction, egg-laying, and incubation. In this blog, we’ll discuss the role the brood patch plays in incubation and determining clutch size. How do bald eagles keep their eggs warm in subzero temperatures? They apply heat via a special area of

January 26, 2025: Mr. North and DNF duetting

When will our eagles lay eggs?

When will the Decorah North, Trempealeau, and Fort St. Vrain eagles begin laying eggs? Mark your calendars as follows! It looks like the lead-up to eggs has started at the North nest. Mr. North and DNF have copulated almost every day since January 24 and DNF was very interested on the one day they didn’t. This is very similar to 2024, which again, puts egg number one around February 15. We’re also seeing solicitation, footing, and duetting. More on eagle

January 23, 2023: HD sports eye-cicles on a frosty morning in Decorah. An icy fog left everything coated with frost

How do Bald Eagles stay warm in cold weather?

Each species experiences the world differently and eagles have capacities that are far different from ours. How do Bald Eagles survive an Iowa winter without adaptive clothing and central heat? After a very warm week, temperatures plummeted on Saturday! When I jumped into my car to begin our Golden Eagle Survey, it was 25 degrees. By the time I got home late Saturday night, it was 5 degrees and the temperature was dropping fast! I checked our camera operators’ logs,

Click for More About Bald Eagles
News

We not have any Turkey Vulture news. Keep checking back!

A Valentine's Day Egg for DNF!

Happy Second Egg/Valentine’s Day!

Roses are red/ Violets are blue/We love our eagles and an egg or two! If you had a Valentine’s Day egg on your calendar, congratulations! DNF laid her second egg of the year at 3PM today. She’s keeping them warm, as eagle mamas do – two eggs in the nest, a Valentine’s view! Happy Valentines Day to friends and eagle fans near and far! I hope Mr. North shows his love with an especially nice fish gift for DNF tonight.

February 12,2025: Mr. North meets his egg!

February 12, 2025: Mr. North Meets His Egg!

Mr. North is in his happy place! He met egg #1 for the first time this year at 7:05 this morning. We all love to see an incredible eagle Dad get his first glimpse of the egg…especially when he’s as dedicated as Mr. North! I’m hesitant to forecast egg #2 given how thoroughly DNF surprised us, but if she sticks to her usual schedule, look for it on Friday afternoon. If you’d like to hang out and celebrate eggs or

An egg in cross section, modified from Romanoff and Romanoff, 1949

How long does it take a bald eagle to lay an egg?

How long does it take a bald eagle to lay an egg? We think that female bald eagles begin laying eggs five to ten days after productive mating begins.

February 11, 2025: DNF's first egg!

Egg #1 For DNF!

Squeeeeee! DNF surprised us with her first egg today! Prior to this, she laid her earliest egg last year, on February 15. Why did her first laying schedule advance so much this year? We’re not sure: photoperiodism overall determines when eagles lay eggs (https://www.raptorresource.org/2025/01/28/flashback-blog-when-will-our-eagles-lay-eggs-bald-eagle-breeding-in-iowa-and-florida/) but temperature and humidity can influence earlier or later laying within an eagle’s schedule. Maybe the record warmth and lack of snow cover made it easier for her to gain the resources she needs for egg

February 10, 2025: Fly like an eagle! Mr. North shows off his long wings and unparalleled aviation skills

February 10, 2025: NestFlix and News from Decorah North and Fort St. Vrain!

Put up your feet and take a deep breath…it’s time for NestFlix! Today’s Diction-aerie word is ‘eggnant’: a female eagle’s condition immediately prior to laying eggs. Our bald eagle Moms are shifting fat to their brood patches and retaining water as their egg follicles swell and mature. We’re planning to begin egg watch on Friday, but we’ll also be watching for DNF, Mrs. T, and Ma FSV to begin loafing around the nest and ‘practice’ laying as eggs draw nearer!

>> More News
Nest Records
Turkey Vulture 2024 Nest Records

Egg Laying
Egg #1 was laid on April 15
Egg #2 was laid on April 16

Egg Hatching
We expect hatch on or around May 22

Fledging
TBD

Vultures and Outcomes >> Detailed Annual Information

Year Nest  Chicks Known Outcomes
2023 Marshall Turkey Vultures MOTV5, MOTV6 The vultures laid two eggs and produced two chicks.
2022 Marshall Turkey Vultures MOTV3, MOTV4 The vultures laid two eggs and produced two chicks.
2021 Marshall Turkey Vultures MOTV1, MOTV2 The vultures laid two eggs and produced two chicks.
Missouri Turkey Vulture Video Library

Missouri Turkey Vulture Video Library

Click the hamburger icon on the top right of the video below to watch this year’s videos, or view our full Missouri Turkey Vulture library on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RaptorResourceProject.