The Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) is not an avian species one would expect in New Brunswick in winter. A Black Vulture was certainly not on anyone’s mind as a group from the Fredericton Nature Club took a field trip to the Fredericton Landfill site on a cold Sunday morning, 23 February 2025.
About 22 people walked the long road up to the active dump site seeing many American Crows and Bald Eagles on the way. We were pleased we had been granted special permission to be there and that this was a day no work was happening at the site. It was obvious that we were approaching the active dump site because a large number of birds were on the ground and in the air. It was, in fact, quite spectacular; crows, eagles, gulls in large numbers. See the photo below.
Fredericton Landfill Showing Large Numbers of Birds [Justin Dutcher Photo]
The active site had birds everywhere; on adjacent mounds, on the road around the pit, in the pit and in the land sloping away. There were Bald Eagles of all ages, gulls, and starlings just everywhere. Some eagles stood atop the mounds like sentinels. The rest were feeding on the debris or resting around the edges. Gulls were feeding, flying and aggressively interacting with one another vying for better feeding sites. There were so many starlings on the active site that they looked like pepper sprinkled over the area. We did not realize just how many were there until they periodically took off in flight and then it looked like 1000s. The gulls were very numerous and included mainly Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed Gulls. It was fun to see so many different ages of each species as they stood close to one another. The plumage comparisons made good learning experiences.
There were some special gull species, too. I saw 4 Iceland Gulls including one adult and 3 juveniles. There was also at least one Lesser Black-backed Gull. It was such a learning experience, for example, to have a Great Black-backed Gull and a Lesser Black-backed Gull adult standing close together and to compare the bills and colour of the mantles was wonderful for me.
We were not long at the site when one birder excitedly pointed out an unusual large black bird standing on the edge of the pit just 20 metres in front of us - a BLACK VULTURE! It seemed undisturbed by our presence and allowed ample time to study and photograph it before it flew away to edge of the area. What was a Black Vulture doing in Fredericton in winter, or at all for that matter?
The Black Vulture looked quite at home. It was feeding and interacting with gulls in what looked like a normal fashion. It was standing its ground with the aggressive gulls and seemed quite comfortable. It would spend some time resting and some time feeding. It made me wonder how long it had been here. A few days or weeks perhaps? See photo below showing the Black Vulture flying. Note the white showing in the wing feathers.
I have seen many Black Vultures in southeastern US, mainly South Carolina. There they associate with the Turkey Vultures. Whenever they were on a large feeding site, a dead deer obviously killed on the road, for example, the Black Vultures would hold back and let the Turkey Vultures feed first and then move in a bit later. The literature says that they let the Turkey Vultures open the killed animal and then move in to feed. They did not seem pushy at all. It was interesting to see a flock of Turkey Vultures feeding and the Black Vultures standing around or perched on poles or trees nearby waiting to feed. When they did move in to feed both species would feed together.
The Black Vulture is a large bird, measuring 64 cm long and with a wing span of 145 cm. It looks smaller than the Turkey Vulture because of its shorter tail but it actually is close to the same size. It has glossy black feathers overall with a bare head and upper neck. The skin there is a dark gray colour which is covered with wrinkles and nodules. The bill is white or gray as are the legs and feet. The inner primary feathers are white and this shows in flight but not usually when perched. The wings are broad and it flies with several quick flaps followed by a flat-winged glide. It likes to ride thermals, lifting it well up above the ground. It is usually seen in flocks and often associates with Turkey Vultures. It can be dominant over the Turkey Vultures and will sometimes drive them away from food.
Black Vultures like open low land especially on coastal plains. They roost and sometimes nest in trees. The normal range is in the southeast of North America, from North Carolina to Texas. In Florida they are mainly seen on the mainland because they are hesitant to fly over water. They also occur in southern Arizona and Mexico and south into the tropics. Their range also extends over much of South America. The range is expanding to the northeast as we have seen in recent years.
Being a scavenger, this vulture mainly eats carrion. Occasionally it will eat the eggs of other birds, turtles and lizards. It will eat the young of other birds or small mammals and occasionally plant material. As we have seen it will scavenge at garbage dumps.
Black Vultures nest on the ground or up to 10 metres above. In courtship the male will walk circles around the female with his neck extended while making a hissing sound. They sometimes do courtship flights diving and chasing each other over the nest site. The nest is usually located in a thicket or in a hollow log or in a cave. It will sometimes go above the ground to build in a hollow tree or an abandoned building. No actual nest is built but they may decorate its periphery with bright pieces of plastic, metal pieces like bottle caps or shards of glass. Two gray-green eggs with brown and lavender blotches are laid and incubated for 37-48 days by both adults. Upon hatching the nestlings are covered with a buffy-coloured down. Both adults feed regurgitated food to the young. The young fledge at about 2 months of age. They become fully flighted at about 75 to 80 days of age. The juvenile birds have black bills and reduced bare skin area on their heads.
The Black Vulture is usually silent. When it does vocalize it is usually in grunts or hisses. These usually occur when it is disturbed. Like the Turkey Vulture it often stands with its wings outspread. It is believed that this is to dry the wings and warm the body and to kill the bacteria accumulated on the feathers.
The earliest report of a Black Vulture in New Brunswick was one in Campobello in 1879 and others occurred in the early 1900s. They have appeared sporadically in the last 30 years. The reports are of single birds. One with a damaged eye was reported from Saint John from 1993-1995. This bird (or another with an injured eye) has been seen also in Nova Scotia. Most reports are of birds seen near the coast with a few from inland sites.
So, our bird is unusual but not totally unheard of. Never-the-less it was a great surprise to that lucky group of people who were at a large landfill site on a very cold Sunday morning! It appears that sightings are becoming a bit more common. For a species that is non-migratory one wonders why. It may be because of loss of habitat in the south or a large increase in their population. Sources say that the population is decreasing in the southeast so loss of habitat is likely. The photos of ‘our’ bird show decreased bare skin on the head and upper neck making me wonder if ours is a young bird. That might be expected in a wandering species member. We wish that welcome visitor success and hope he stays here to expand its range permanently.
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