Will a Turkey Vulture Take My Small Cat or Dog That's Out in Our Yard?

I was worried. We have 4 dogs, three of them small dogs. I knew we had turkey vultures around our house because I've seen two of them sitting on our neighbor's roof. That was a few years ago and I kept an eye on our dogs while they were outside. I hadn't seen them around since that year, but a few days ago, I saw six of them circling around our neighborhood, diving and swooping...it made me worried about our dogs again. So I did some research.

It turns out that our American Turkey Vultures aren't interested in our pets at all - or in our kids either, for that matter. They probably wouldn't even eat a dead dog or cat that's in the road. They prefer to eat animals that eat plants, not meat. They'll even eat some vegetation. And our North American Turkey Vultures will turn their nose up at meat that is rotten if they can find meat that is fresh. However, if an animal has a tough hide, they do need to wait a few days until the hide has softened up enough for their weak beaks to penetrate it.

They also won't go after anything that is moving, only animals that are lying still and appear to be dead.

They don't look for food at night, either. They have very poor vision at night.

I also found it very interesting is that North American Turkey Vultures have a very keen sense smell, while African and Asian vultures cannot smell anything. So when North American Turkey Vultures are looking for food, they can use both their keen eyesight and smell.

Possibly. Or they could be playing, searching for food, or gaining altitude for along flight. Turkey vultures will notice other turkey vultures circling and flock to the area. If a large, dead animal has been spotted, they may wait until there are enough birds to dispose of the carcass in a timely manner (yuck!).

• They are attracted to the scent of mercaptan, the gas produced by the beginnings of decay. This gas was used (don't know if it still is) by a gas company to find a leak in their gas lines. They found turkey vultures gathered where the mercaptan leaked out.
• Male and female turkey vultures look alike
• Vulture poop is actually a sanitizer that is supposed to kill all bacteria and viruses.
• They are 25 to 32 inches tall
• They have a wingspan of about six feet!
• They're usually quiet, but when feeding or at their nest, they will hiss or grunt.
• They not aggressive
• They are the most common and widespread vulture in the United States
• At night, they often gather in large roosts. Their "nests" aren't actual nests, but rather indentations in the soil. They don't nest in trees.
  
• They'll also put their eggs in a crevice in rocks, in a hollow tree, or in a fallen hollow log.