i.d. and explanation, please? (Aiken, South Carolina, USA, 26 Dec. 2022, ˜10:45 a.m.) (1 Viewer)

[rsnidjik]

We saw this majestic creature perched atop a metal pole in a utility easement (location info below). At first I thought it was some kind of patriotic statuette someone (a utility employee, I hoped) had mounted on the electrical pole. Instead, though, it was a live bird apparently showing its stuff to all who looked on. It actually shifted orientation to continue facing us as we walked by on the path below, so maybe it was warning us off its territory. It kept its wings spread the entire time we watched, which would have been about four minutes or so.

Can someone identify this bird from my
View attachment Raptor_show_vid.mov
pitiful photo and video?

And what is it doing with this spread-wing display? I'd never seen anything like it.

Location: outskirts of Aiken, South Carolina, 26 December 2022, 10:47 a.m.

 

[lockbreeze926]

Seems to be a Turkey Vulture.

Like so.

Reasoning - Vulture Facts : the “horaltic pose”.

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Appears that the posture is to thermoregulate and to dry the wings.

 

[rsnidjik]

Seems to be a Turkey Vulture.

Like so.

Reasoning - Vulture Facts : the “horaltic pose”.
View attachment 1485555

Thank you! Maybe not my favorite bird, but I give it credit for an impressive display. And it does very important work, of course. I had sort of suspected some kind of vulture or buzzard from the neck configuration, but I couldn't really tell.

 

[rsnidjik]

Appears that the posture is to thermoregulate and to dry the wings.

Wow! Now that's interesting. So it was drying its wings in the bright sunlight on a very cold morning (sub-freezing, which is pretty rare in this part of South Carolina).

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

For the cold morning, it is more likely that it was “sun-bathing” in order to warm up; there are a lot of intermediate stages between classic “warm-blooded” and “cold-blooded” animals (more properly described as homoiothermic and poikilothermic).

 

[rsnidjik]

For the cold morning, it is more likely that it was “sun-bathing” in order to warm up; there are a lot of intermediate stages between classic “warm-blooded” and “cold-blooded” animals (more properly described as homoiothermic and poikilothermic).

Thanks, WP, for the clear explanation. Makes sense.

 

[KC Foggin]

Living not far from an intracoastal waterway in Myrtle Beach, I see dozens of these guys flying overhead. I love them.

 

[rsnidjik]

Living not far from an intracoastal waterway in Myrtle Beach, I see dozens of these guys flying overhead. I love them.

Who doesn't love a vulture?

 

[THE_FERN]

I think studies show that vultures save significant amounts of energy by sunbathing in this way (as do I when it's cold: the alternative for me would be shivering which is quite energetic)

 

[MiddleRiver]

Can there be anyone who does NOT love vultures?
<big grin>