Gardening and Landscaping

[BullNBear52]

They are right outside my office window 5 stories up. The one sitting on the pole does an amazing balancing act since it was windy that day.

Why do they spread their wings,

To warm themselves on cold mornings. Turkey vultures can lower their body temp to conserve energy at night, but in the morning, they need to warm up to be able to fly. The outstretched wings absorb the heat from the solar energy and soon warm up enough to take off.

To kill the bacteria that coats their wings after eating carrion. After the Turkey Vultures eat, they are often covered with nasty bacteria from their decaying meal. The sun's ultraviolet rays effectively kill the bacteria on the wings.

http://redandthepeanut.blogspot.com/2009/04/turkey-vultures-raising-their-wings-in.html