 Breeding evidence |
 Relative abundance |
 Probability of observation |
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Click on plot to view table of mean abundance
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Number of squares
Long-term BBS trends
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8.47 (5.86 - 11.1)|
Mean abundance (number of birds detected per 5 min. point count) and percentage of squares occupied by region Bird Conservation Regions [abund. plot]
[%squares plot]
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Atlas Results
Turkey Vultures were observed in 418 atlas squares with centres of high probability of observation in the Cypress Upland, Aspen Parkland, and Boreal Transition ecoregions, as well as the Big Muddy Valley. Breeding was generally difficult to confirm, with over half of the 22 breeding records the result of revisiting known nesting locations in abandoned buildings near North Battleford. Turkey Vultures were observed as far north as the Churchill River, seen at Pinehouse Lake, Missinipe, and two locations between Stanley Mission and Sandy Bay, consistent with sightings at similar latitudes from the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas.
Excerpts Adapted from the Birds of Saskatchewan:
The Turkey Vulture is a slow-moving black giant, with a small body but a 1.8 m wingspan. Up close, with much of the head nearly featherless, it is ugly. In flight, however, they are magnificent, making use of thermals, the adults soar effortlessly, up to 1000 m above ground, rarely flapping their wings. Breeds across southern Canada and most of the US. Winters in the southern US and is a permanent resident from there south through South America.
When bison roamed the plains, Turkey Vultures were present in badlands from Big Muddy Valley west to the Cypress Hills, along the North and South Saskatchewan and Qu'Appelle Rivers, in Duck Mountain, and around a few of the larger lakes, places with large caves available as nest sites. With the increased use of abandoned buildings for nesting, most of the birds are now found in the parkland and southern boreal forest.
The Turkey Vulture is an uncommon but increasing resident to much of southern Saskatchewan. It is an uncommon transient in intensively cultivated areas (Smith 1996). Recent human depopulation as farm sizes increased, with abandonment of more than half the farm buildings, has offered thousands of new Turkey Vulture nest sites in deserted buildings. In 2007, records were set for the farthest north sightings: 3 around the fishing lodge at Sandy Lake (Klaus Knot) and another photographed on the west shore of Reindeer Lake (Bill Layman).
Original text by C. Stuart Houston and Marten J. Stoffel and Harold E. Fisher. Text adapted by Daniel J. Sawatzky
Read more about the Turkey Vulture in the Birds of Saskatchewan here.
Recommended citation: Latremouille, L. M. 2025. Turkey Vulture in Latremouille, L. M., S. L. Van Wilgenburg, C. B. Jardine, D. Lepage, A. R. Couturier, D. Evans, D. Iles, and K. L. Drake (eds.). 2025. The Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Saskatchewan, 2017-2021. Birds Canada. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan https://sk.birdatlas.ca/accounts/speciesaccount.jsp?sp=TUVU&lang=en [14 Nov 2025]
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