Community Corner

Birds Share The Rail At Wildlife Refuge: Photos Of The Day

A great blue heron and two turkey vultures rest on a railing at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont.

FREMONT, CA — Henry Shen shared a pair of photos taken at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in Fremont. Both feature turkey vultures, while one also includes a great blue heron.

If you are wondering why the vultures are sitting with their wings spread out, we turned to Stanford University for the answer, "Spread-wing postures appear to serve for both thermoregulation and drying in Turkey Vultures. These birds maintain their body temperature at a lower level at night than in the daytime. Morning wing-spreading should provide a means of absorbing solar energy and passively raising their temperature to the daytime level."

Thank you for submitting your photos, Henry.


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