who's the boss?

I have never before seen a turkey vulture spread its wings out like this. But this morning Hubby and I came across a flock where 2 or 3 were doing it. So I thought it might be a mating ritual, or a show of dominance.

Nope - here's what I found on the internet from the Turkey Vulture Society:

"This is called the Horaltic Pose. Research on this pose suggests that turkey vultures spread their wings in the mornings, once the sun's intensity reaches a certain level, to raise their body temperature (which they lower at night by a few degrees as an energy saving mechanism)."

So their wings double as a solar panel!