I’m wondering if another Turkey Vulture defecated on this bird.
I read some Turkey Vultures will defecate on their legs when they get too warm in the summer months. They call this urohidrosis, and it accomplishes two things: it cools the skin on the legs and it “sterilizes” the skin against bacteria because the pH is so acidic.

I was walking one of the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge service roads when I spotted this Turkey Vulture. I was hand-holding my camera and lens.
Gear:
- Camera: Canon EOS 7D
- Lens: Canon EF 500 mm f/4L IS
Technical:
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
- Date & Time Taken: January 17, 2013 (10:42 A.M.)
- Aperture Priority
- Aperture: f5.6
- Shutter speed: 1/1600 sec. (as determined by the camera)
- ISO: 320
- White Balance: Auto
- Metering Mode: Evaluative
- Exposure Compensation: 0
- Back-button Focus
- Single Point Continuous Auto Focus
- Focal Length: 500 mm
- Processed With Luminar 4