Dr. Julie Mallon will present “Time is Energy: a New Perspective on the Migratory Behavior of Turkey Vultures.”
Do you love vultures? If you don’t already, you may after attending our August program.
Virginia is home to arguably one of the best soaring birds in the world, the Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura). Turkey vultures are obligate soaring birds, but few other species use this strategy. Dr. Julie Mallon will review the costs and benefits of obligate soaring, why Turkey Vultures have the largest home range of any vulture species, and the adaptive strategies Tur- key Vultures use to deal with competition from other scavengers. As scavenging and soaring specialists, the flight of Turkey Vultures is restricted to where and when strong updrafts are available and the birds are grounded when updrafts are weak. Dr. Mallon’s interest includes how Turkey Vultures cope with these restrictions.
Dr. Mallon has been studying vultures since 2011. Her Master’s research on the flight behaviors of Black and Turkey vultures was awarded special recognition by The Auk, The New York Times, and the BBC. Last year, she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she studied the drivers of migratory and non-migratory movements by birds.