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A black vulture roosts in a tree at the Columbia County Solid Waste transfer station on Thursday in Hudson. Black vultures have appeared in the northern Hudson Valley in recent years from their traditional range down south.<\/p>\n
Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n
GREENPORT\u00a0\u2014 Nancy Jane Kern said she has seen black vultures in Columbia County \u201chundreds of times.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A member of the Alan Devoe Bird Club<\/a> who describes herself as \u201c80 years old and an avid lifetime birder,\u201d Kern said the birds are most commonly seen around the Greenport Transfer Station. At dusk, dozens of black and turkey vultures fly in from all directions to roost in an adjacent cemetery, settling into separate groups in the evergreens like gargoyles.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n But the black vultures\u2019 presence is a recent phenomenon, Kern said. Growing up on dairy farms in Columbia County, Kern often saw turkey vultures feeding on animal carcasses, \u201cbut no black vultures until the last 20 years.\u201d Now, she said, they are \u201ccommonly seen.\u201d<\/p>\n Historically, the black vulture\u2019s range stopped around the Mason-Dixon Line. But today, the birds can be found as far north as Canada. The expansion has been rapid, and scientists have yet to agree on exactly why it is happening.<\/p>\n A northward push<\/p>\n The black vulture is a stocky scavenger with a wingspan of about 4\u00bd feet. It can often be seen circling high overhead, feeding on roadkill or perched in trees. It closely resembles the turkey vulture\u00a0\u2014 a species that has lived in New York for millennia\u00a0\u2014 but differs in a few key ways. Black vultures have black heads rather than red ones, and their underwings feature silvery tips instead of the broad silvery rear halves seen on turkey vultures.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make the Times Union a Preferred Source on Google to see more of our journalism when you search.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n The first recorded black vulture nest in New York was documented at Mohonk Preserve in Ulster County in 1997, according to an article by Mohonk Preserve research associate Joe Bridges in The Kingbird<\/a>, though the species had been observed in the state before then.<\/p>\n In Columbia County, members of the Alan Devoe Bird Club recorded just four sightings between 1964 and 2003. After that, sightings became annual, and by 2011, black vultures were being observed daily, according to club member William Cook.<\/p>\n The expansion has occurred not only in New York but throughout the Northeast and Midwest, said John Garrett, project coordinator for Cornell University\u2019s birding database, eBird. The spread has also been uneven. In some cases, the species has established populations in more northern areas before filling in territory farther south.\u00a0Cornell data show<\/a> black vultures are now common along the Northeast coast and in lower-elevation inland regions, including the Hudson and Mohawk valleys. Higher elevations, such as the Catskills and Adirondacks, appear to be less attractive to the birds.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Individual black vultures are also highly mobile. David Barber, senior research biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, said mature birds typically range across about 100 square miles, while immature birds can roam across as much as 1,000 square miles.<\/p>\n Although black vultures are traditionally considered nonmigratory, Barber said there is \u201csome anecdotal evidence\u201d that birds living at the northern edge of the species\u2019 range may migrate seasonally, while those in the core of the range remain year-round residents.<\/p>\n A black vulture flies over the Columbia County Solid Waste transfer station on Thursday in Hudson. The birds are found near the coasts of the northeastern states and in low-lying areas, including the Hudson and Mohawk valleys in New York, according to data from Cornell University.<\/p>\n Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n So why are the birds moving north so quickly? There are two leading\u00a0theories.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The first is climate change. Milder winters may allow black vultures to survive in places that were once too cold. Barber said Hawk Mountain\u2019s records show that decades ago black vultures would arrive during the warmer months and head south when winter arrived. Today, many remain throughout the year.<\/p>\n The second explanation involves more direct human impacts on the landscape.\u00a0In short: more roadkill.<\/p>\n Barber said Pennsylvania has not seen significant road expansion during the same period that black vulture populations have surged. Instead, he points to dramatic increases in white-tailed deer populations.\u00a0A similar trend can be seen in New York. Road construction has been relatively limited over the past 30 years, but deer populations have grown substantially, in part because of declining hunting pressure, particularly in suburban areas.<\/p>\n Vulture vs. vulture<\/p>\n Black vultures rely in part on turkey vultures to locate food.\u00a0The relationship is less similar to one person relying on the aid of another to achieve a common goal and more like when a bully relies on another student for lunch.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Tait Johansson, naturalist-in-residence for the Bedford Audubon Society in Westchester County, said turkey vultures possess an advanced sense of smell. They can detect ethyl mercaptan, a chemical released during the early stages of decomposition. The compound is so pungent that utility companies add it to otherwise odorless natural gas to help people detect leaks. But turkey vultures are so adept at finding the scent that utility workers have learned they can sometimes identify gas leaks \u201cby looking for groups of turkey vultures hanging out looking disappointed next to the pipeline,\u201d Johansson said.<\/p>\n Black vultures lack the same olfactory abilities. Instead, they often follow turkey vultures to carcasses and then drive them away from the food source\u00a0\u2014\u00a0\u201cespecially if there is more than one of them,\u201d Johansson said. Black vultures are also stockier and heavier, giving them the upper hand.<\/p>\n Despite competing for food, the two species have long coexisted throughout much of the southern United States. Data from eBird show turkey vulture populations in the Northeast have remained stable or increased even as black vultures expanded into the region, suggesting there is plenty of carrion to support both species.<\/p>\n Black vultures and humans<\/p>\n A plastic vulture decoy is hung from a railing outside the Columbia County Solid Waste transfer station office, where the black vultures like to gather, on Thursday in Hudson.<\/p>\n Will Waldron\/Times Union<\/p>\n Whether because of their intimidating appearance or their association with death, black vultures have not always been welcomed by people.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In Guilderland in 2014,\u00a0neighbors repeatedly complained<\/a> to town officials and police after a resident began feeding the birds raw meat during the winter. The practice attracted dozens of vultures, which perched around her home, defecated on cars and unnerved neighborhood children.<\/p>\n The birds also have some unpleasant habits.\u00a0Young black vultures defend themselves by vomiting on predators. And even when they are not throwing up, they have a reputation for smelling terrible.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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