Buzzard or Turkey Vulture Skull Replica measures 3.7 inches. Turkey Vulture Skull Replica is Museum quality cast in polyurethane resins. Made in the USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw).
The Buzzard or turkey vulture is sometimes accused of carrying anthrax or hog cholera, both livestock diseases, on its feet or bill by cattle ranchers and is therefore occasionally perceived as a threat.
The virus that causes hog cholera is destroyed when it passes through the turkey vulture’s digestive tract.
This species is perceived as a threat by farmers due to the similar black vulture’s tendency to attack and kill newborn cattle. The Buzzard or turkey vulture does not kill live animals but will mix with flocks of black vultures and will scavenge what they leave behind. It’s appearance at a location where a calf has been killed gives the incorrect impression that the turkey vulture represents a danger to calves.
The droppings produced by turkey vultures and other vultures can harm or kill trees and other vegetation.
The turkey vulture species receives special legal protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 in the United States, by the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds in Canada, and by the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Game Mammals in Mexico.
In the US it is illegal to take, kill, or possess Buzzards or turkey vultures, their eggs, and any body parts including but not limited to their feathers; violation of the law is punishable by a fine of up to $100,000 for individuals or $200,000 for organizations, and/or a prison term of 1 year.
It is listed as a species of least concern by the IUCN Red List. Populations appear to remain stable, and it has not reached the threshold of inclusion as a threatened species, which requires a decline of more than 30 percent in 10 years or three generations.
