Vulture Facts

Not necessarily. Often when you see vultures circling, they are moving upwards, rising higher into the sky. The long, broad wings of vultures are not designed to do a lot of flapping. Instead of flapping, vultures use thermals (rising warm air) to gain altitude. When they find a thermal, they circle upwards on the rising air current until they reach the needed height, then they glide off in the direction they want to go. 

Vultures hold their wings open to warm up in the sun and to dry their feathers after a heavy morning dew or a rainstorm. This open-winged pose is called the “horaltic pose.”

Cormorants, pelicans, and anhingas also use this open-winged pose to dry their feathers after swimming.

No. Vultures have evolved to eat dead animals and have no reason to attack a live human or pet. However, if cornered or handled, they may bite or vomit. Vultures vomit when stressed, which gets predators to back off and makes the vultures lighter for an easier takeoff.

It can be difficult to tell if a black vulture actually killed the animal it is feeding on or found it already dead. Farm animals, especially newborns, die from many causes. But black vultures sometimes do kill newborn calves and lambs. They are attracted to the afterbirth and may try to eat a newborn that is not yet able to stand and move away. Because black vultures tend to feed in groups, it can be hard for cows or ewes to scare them off, especially if they are first-time mothers.

Turkey vultures will feed on afterbirth but are not known to kill newborn animals or other livestock.

Determine whether vultures are using your property as a winter or summer roost, or only as a temporary stopover during migration. Migration is generally September through November and late February through April. When migrating, vultures may hang out for only a few days, or a week or two, and then no action is needed on your part. The vultures will be leaving soon anyway.

Remove things that attract vultures.

Vultures may be attracted to an area because of trash and food waste, dead livestock, or outdoor feeding areas for pets (dog food and cat food can attract vultures). Removing these items or making them harder to access will discourage vultures from returning.

Use scare tactics to discourage vultures from returning.

If a group of vultures is regularly using trees for overnight roosting or is regularly hanging out on a rooftop, deck, or patio, you have several options for scaring them away.

• Use noise-making devices such as firecrackers, or shoot a gun into the air if you are not within city limits. 
• Use flashing lights (to scare roosting vultures at night).
• Spray vultures with a water hose or set sprinklers to reach the area vultures are using.
• Hang mylar tape, bird-scare tape, or helium-filled balloons on railings or in trees.

For these tactics to be most effective:

• Start early in the season. The longer vultures use the same roost, the harder it is to get them to relocate.
• Be persistent. Use scare tactics daily until the vultures stop coming back.

Cut down the dead trees that vultures are perching in.

Vultures like to perch in dead, leafless trees during the day. If vultures are using dead trees in your yard, cut down the trees and the vultures will go somewhere else.

Hang effigies.

You can make an effigy of a vulture or buy one. Place effigies in conspicuous locations so the vultures will easily see them, such as on a roof or hung upside down in the tree where the vultures roost. To use an actual dead vulture as an effigy, you must go through the USDA or Missouri Farm Bureau. It is not legal to kill a vulture without a permit.

If the above measures fail, you can request help from your local USDA APHIS Wildlife Services office.

Both MDC and USDA Wildlife Services can offer assistance and guidance on deterring vultures.

Contact your local MDC wildlife damage biologist.

Contact your local USDA Wildlife Services office.

To develop a comprehensive plan for managing black vultures that are attacking livestock, contact USDA Wildlife Services.