Despite its importance for ecosystem and human health, the cleaning service provided by scavenging birds is frequently disregarded. We evaluated this ecosystem service provided by a migratory species at a continental scale, estimating the amount of annual organic material removal, and the cost of artificially replacing the service. Road surveys conducted between 2005 and 2011, indicated an abundance of Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) of nearly 9,000 birds along 27,658 km (22,127 km²), suggesting that the total global population could approximate 13 million birds. The calculated individual food intake (252 g/day) suggests that the surveyed population remove 1,000 tons of organic material per year –a monetized service of more than 500,000 USD, that could reach 700 million USD per year for the global population. Movement data from 22 tagged birds showed that the ecosystem service is maximized at the breeding and wintering areas, where Turkey Vultures spend most of the year (74–92% of time). The huge amount of organic material removed by Turkey Vultures at a continental scale, and the economic relevance of their service, highlight the importance of widespread and abundant populations of scavenging birds and their significant role in protecting the health of the environment and human wellbeing.

尽管它对生态系统和人类健康具有重要意义，但常常忽略了由禽类提供的清洁服务。我们在大陆范围内评估了由迁徙物种提供的这种生态系统服务，估算了每年清除的有机物质的量以及人工替换服务的成本。2005年至2011年间进行的调查之路，表示土耳其秃鹰（丰盈Cathartes光环的近9000只）沿27658公里（22127公里²），表明全球总人口可能接近1300万只鸟。计算得出的个人食物摄入量（252克/天）表明，被调查的人口每年去除1000吨有机物质-货币化服务的价值超过500,000美元，对于全球人口而言，每年可能达到7亿美元。来自22只有标签的鸟类的运动数据表明，繁殖和越冬地区的生态系统服务得到了最大程度的发挥，土耳其秃鹰一年中大部分时间都在这里度过（74-92％的时间）。土耳其秃鹰在大陆范围内清除的大量有机物质及其服务的经济意义，突出了广泛而丰富的清道夫种群的重要性及其在保护环境健康和人类福祉方面的重要作用。