Use management strategies for black vulture control

CANTON, Ill. — The black vulture population is increasing in Illinois and the Midwest, causing problems for livestock producers.

“The entire southeast of the U.S. deals with these birds, with Florida having over 1 million black vultures,” said Johnathan Walls, Illinois state director for Wildlife Services, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

“There are roughly 6,000 birds in the bottom third of Illinois and that’s enough to cause problems,” said Walls during a presentation at the Illinois Forage Institute, hosted by the Illinois Forage and Grassland Council in partnership with the Illinois Grazing Lands Coalition.

Black vultures are migratory birds that produce one to three eggs each year.

“There are not a lot of mortality sources for them, just the predation of their eggs,” Walls said.

The black and turkey vultures are both protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

“To kill these birds requires a federal depredation permit, and if you kill one of them without a permit, it is a misdemeanor,” Walls said. “That could result in fines up to $15,000 and up to six months in prison.”

The big thing that harmed these birds in the 1950s and 1960s was the use of the pesticide DDT.

“DDT caused thin eggshells, and when the females sat on them to incubate, the eggs shells would break,” Walls said. “That broke the reproductive cycle.”

Once DDT was banned, the eggshells returned to normal and the number of birds has been increasing since the early 1970s.

Vultures are diurnal birds.

“They are daytime birds and they are very social, especially the black vultures,” Walls said. “They work in groups and they stay together.”

The birds feed on dead animals and they have strong stomach acids.

“It is 10 to 100 times more acidic than other animals and that’s how they break down what they eat,” Walls said.

“Black vultures eat about one pound of meat per day and they are important for us ecologically,” he said. “They are the compost machines of the sky.”

It is easy to distinguish between a turkey and black vulture and the head is the big difference. A turkey vulture has a red head and the black vulture has a black head.

“In flight, you will see whitish at the wing tips of the black vulture and the rest of it is black,” Walls said. “They also have a shorter tail, so you can see their feet sticking behind the tail feathers.”

The trailing edge of the turkey vulture feathers are light colored and they have a longer tail, so their feet are covered.

Turkey vultures are scavengers, so they only go after something that is dead, but black vultures are scavengers and predators.

“That’s why we have problems with them — black vultures predate on newborn calves and sheep,” Walls said.

“The black vultures are smart and they know what they are doing,” he said. “They are bullies and will push turkey vultures off a carcass and take it over.”

The vultures are highly attracted to rubber and rubber components.

“They will peck at windshield wipers on cars and they will sit on roofs and peck at the ridge vents,” Walls said. “There is something in that black chemical that they like and we don’t know why.”

Black vultures will attack calves moments after they are born.

“The first thing they do is poke the eyes out of the calf,” Walls said. “After one cow gives birth, they will smell the afterbirth, understand what is going on and they have no problem standing in a field with cows.”

The state director talked about several management strategies that livestock producers can utilize if they are having problems with black vultures, starting with habitat modification and good husbandry practices.

“Keep an eye on your livestock and keep the animals close to human activity if you can,” he advised.

“If you have a birthing pen that is small enough, you can put grid wires or netting overhead,” he said. “If the vultures try to come in and hit something they cannot see, they won’t like it and they will avoid the area.”

Livestock protection dogs are a viable tool. Lasers are also a very effective tool.

“The great thing is they don’t make noise and I have not seen birds get used to them,” Walls said. “You use them right at dusk when the birds have come back to roost, but it is still light enough for them to move because they don’t want to fly at night.”

If a problem continues with black vultures after implementing management strategies, livestock owners can apply for a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service depredation permit.

“It will only authorize the take of a small portion of the animals — it will not let you wipe out the entire population,” Walls said. “You also must get a Form 37 from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and a state permit.”

“We recommend you use the carcasses that you take as effigies,” he said. “These birds are very social so they don’t like to see a vulture hanging there dead, so they will leave that area.”

Hang the whole bird, Walls said, and it should last for a couple of months, depending on the weather.

“Or, you can take a throw dummy, paint it black and attach the wings and tail off a real bird and hang that,” he said.

Illinois Farm Bureau is also helping livestock producers by obtaining depredation permits from the Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Farm Bureau has the ability to issue sub permits to producers having issues,” Walls said. “They will issue a permit for three birds, and if the producer feels he needs more, they’ll issue a permit for seven more birds.”