Two days ago, while visiting Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, I had the opportunity to photograph two Turkey Vultures squabbling on a hog carcass.

Turkey Vulture - This is my hog!, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, OklahomaTurkey Vulture – This is my hog! – Canon R7, handheld, f11, 1/1000, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Canon RF 800mm, natural light

When I took the photo above, I laughed out loud—I had to! I could already envision several captions for it, and I decided on “Turkey Vulture – This is my hog!” because the vulture on the left looked like it was saying that to the one on the right.

Turkey Vultures aren’t the most handsome birds, or even appealing to most people. Me? I find them interesting, and I’m grateful for them because they’re part of Mother Nature’s clean-up crew.

The hog carcass the vultures are on has been in that field for several weeks, and these birds are helping to clean it up by feeding on it.

Turkey Vultures on a hog carcass, Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge, OklahomaTurkey Vultures on a hog carcass – Canon R7, handheld, f11, 1/1000, ISO 800, +0.3 EV, Canon RF 800mm, natural light

I’ve said much of this about Turkey Vultures before, but here I go again.

Turkey Vultures—and scavengers in general—are unsung heroes in local ecosystems. Here’s how they help:

1. Natural sanitation crew:
They clean up carcasses that could otherwise spread disease. By consuming dead animals, they help prevent outbreaks of diseases like anthrax, rabies, and botulism, which can linger in decaying bodies.

2. Ecosystem balance:
By quickly removing carrion, they reduce food sources for less desirable scavengers like feral dogs or rats, which can cause ecological imbalances or bring their own set of health risks.

3. Nutrient recycling:
They help return nutrients to the soil. After digestion and waste, what’s left gets broken down and reabsorbed into the environment—nature’s way of not wasting a thing.

4. Low-impact diners:
Turkey Vultures don’t typically kill prey or damage live plants. They live off what’s already dead, which makes their environmental impact low and their benefits high.

5. Disease resistance:
Their strong stomach acid can neutralize many harmful pathogens in rotting meat, meaning they safely consume things that would make most animals sick—and keep those pathogens from spreading.

So yeah, they’re not exactly glamorous, but Turkey Vultures are like the ecological equivalent of a deep-cleaning crew with iron stomachs and a taste for recycling.

That’s pretty impressive when you think about it.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to view more of my Turkey Vulture photos plus facts and information about this species.