Nature’s other snowbirds: Vultures arrive for winter

The vulture migration south coincides with tourist season.

The Northeast has colorful fall leaves, the Rockies have that first layer of quiet snow, and South Florida has its turkey vultures.

While many signs of autumn in subtropical Palm Beach County are subtle, the circling “kettles” of vultures soaring on the thermals high above Earth are a more overt signal of seasonal change.

“You can almost mark your calendar,” said David Hitzig, executive director of Busch Wildlife Sanctuary west of Jupiter. “This is the time of year. They are starting to migrate through right now.” Get an up-close look at vultures, South Florida’s winged sign of fall at video.

Somewhat gruesome, and often gross — they poop on their own legs to cool off and are known to puke if they feel threatened — vultures migrate south after summering in northern regions such as Michigan or New Brunswick, Canada.

They leave when the cool fronts begin and food becomes less plentiful, said Michael Avery, project leader with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Wildlife Research Center in Gainesville.

Avery, whose projects include tagging and tracking vultures, said