Vulture invasion besets residents of Florida neighborhood

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Residents of a Florida neighborhood say they are beset by an invasion of turkey vultures that are damaging homes and causing major messes.

Resident Judy Oliveri told WFLA-TV that her neighborhood in the Tampa suburb of Westchase is overrun with the large black birds, and they’ve been multiplying since they showed up three years ago.

“We could have 20 to 25 vultures on our roofs. They land on our screens, their under-feathers are all over the roof, their droppings are all over the place,” Oliveri said.

Other homeowners say it’s possible the vultures were dislocated from their previous habitat by ongoing development in the area.

Residents say the U.S. Department of Agriculture has promised to remove the vultures, but no timetable has been set.

“They are destroying our neighborhood and our property values. I would like them gone,” Oliveri said.

Vultures are state and federally protected as a migratory bird. That means it is illegal to harm or kill them without a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Associated Press