05/02/2026

Samuel Clifford

Location: Moncks Corner, SC

Date: 05/02/2026

Temperature: 60°F

Weather: Light Rain

In a suburban area near a business a dead armadillo or opossum was lying in a puddle near the road. Two turkey vultures with their distinctive red head were pecking at the carcass. Their fully red heads indicate that they are adults and more than 2-3 years old as that is when Turkey Vultures develop that distinctive head color. When flying I could also see their greyish primary and secondary wings that, along with the red head, distinguish them from Black Vultures, which don’t have greyish secondary wings.

They seem very unbothered by the rain and able to fly back and forth without any extra burden from the weight of the feathers. They did seem very skittish, however, I was able to approach but stay at least 25ft away and behind a small building. Any car that went by though they would fly off but not very far, only 50-90ft away. They would wait on a tree limb or house roof for around 3-5 minutes before returning to the carcass.

Concerning eating, they would lower their necks and grab at the carcass with their beaks and then pull up, attempting to tear pieces of the carcass. I could even see them occasionally using one of their talons to ground the piece down before pulling so that the body wouldn’t move. They then would eat the piece they tore off whole. Sometimes they would pick up a piece and then drop it and not consume it. Perhaps this indicates that they will not eat certain parts of the carcass. They often times looked up while consuming the carcass likely trying to remain vigilant of any threats. They consumed the carcass for around 15-20 minutes and then left with only a few pieces of the carcass still there. Afterward they flew off out of sight.