Turkey Vulture, photo by Judy Barrows
List of Songs ~ Charlie Ipcar Home Page
Words by: Charlie Ipcar © 11/26/14
Tune: traditional after "The Topman and the Afterguard"
Printable Version ~ PDF ~ MP3 Sample ~ Notes
Turkey Vulture, photo by Judy Barrows
The Cuckoo, she’s a pretty bird,
And so’s the Turtle Dove,
But the fairest bird among them all
Is one you’d never love!
She’s the Vulture, oh so graceful,
Watch her gliding high above;
The vulture is the fairest bird,
And she deserves our love!
Chorus:
She’s the Vulture, oh so graceful,
Watch her gliding high above;
The Vulture is the fairest bird,
And she deserves our love!
I call her fair for she never steals,
Or lays eggs in other nests;
She’s never vain or ever rude;
The Vulture’s the perfect guest!
See her feathers, glossy black,
Gray her shy and balding head;
She never strikes to kill her prey,
Dines only on the dead! (CHO)
The Osprey dives to strike her prey;
The Vulture sits and waits;
When other birds have et their fill,
She sidles up to the plate;
She never fusses ‘bout their leavings,
Not one croak of sad protest;
She digs right in with her sharp beak,
Then slugs it down with zest. (CHO)
If there's reward for toil and strife
When comes the final test:
For cleaning up what others leave,
The Vulture is the best;
Hear her sing, though not so soothing
As the cooing Turtle Dove;
The Vulture is the fairest bird
And she deserves our love! (CHO)
Vulture being Fed, photo by Judy Barrows
Vultures have an ugly reputation which I consider completely undeserved so I felt compelled to compose this loving song to set the record straight. We got to meet this turkey vulture up close at Pacific Northwest Raptors, British Columbia, in 2015.