Michael J.
Senior Member
Mike, you've got lots of great photos here. Amazing.
A Day at the Natural Science Museum
- Thread starter Mike D90
- Start date
pictaker64
Senior Member
They do that to dry their wings,every morning I see them do the same thing here...
..Thanks for the great shots!!
..Thanks for the great shots!!
Scott Murray
Senior Member
It is done for several reasons but bird experts say the vultures are trying to raise their body temperatures.
Vultures are geniuses at conserving energy. At night, when they sleep, they lower their body temperature. In the morning, they use the sun to raise it.
pictaker64
Senior Member
It appears we are both right ....I did not know about the thermoregulation,thanks for the info
"Spread-wing postures appear to serve for both thermoregulation and drying in Turkey Vultures. These birds maintain their body temperature at a lower level at night than in the daytime. Morning wing-spreading should provide a means of absorbing solar energy and passively raising their temperature to the daytime level. Field observations indicate that this behavior is associated with the intensity of sunlight and also occurs more frequently when the birds are wet than when they are dry."
..I did not know about the thermoregulation,thanks for the info"Spread-wing postures appear to serve for both thermoregulation and drying in Turkey Vultures. These birds maintain their body temperature at a lower level at night than in the daytime. Morning wing-spreading should provide a means of absorbing solar energy and passively raising their temperature to the daytime level. Field observations indicate that this behavior is associated with the intensity of sunlight and also occurs more frequently when the birds are wet than when they are dry."