Vulture invasion besets residents of Florida neighborhood

<p>TAMPA, Fla. &mdash; Residents of a Florida neighborhood say they are beset by an invasion of turkey vultures that are damaging homes and causing major messes.</p>
<p>Resident Judy Oliveri told <a href="https://www.wfla.com/news/turkey-vultures-have-been-terrorizing-hillsborough-neighborhood-residents-say/amp/?__twitter_impression=true">WFLA-TV</a> 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.</p>
<p>“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. </p>
<p>Other homeowners say it’s possible the vultures were dislocated from their previous habitat by ongoing development in the area.</p>
<p>Residents say the U.S. Department of Agriculture has promised to remove the vultures, but no timetable has been set.</p>
<p>“They are destroying our neighborhood and our property values. I would like them gone,” Oliveri said. </p>
<p>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.</p>