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Two vultures have already been killed, their carcasses left as a warning to the remaining turkey vultures in the city: Atlantic doesn't want you.

As the huge birds begin their springtime invasion of southwest Iowa, Atlantic city and police officials are taking the initiative to stop what has become an annual nightmare for those in certain neighborhoods.

City officials obtained a federal permit to shoot up to 20 turkey vultures, before hanging them near a roosting site as a warning to other vultures. The majestic but bothersome birds tend to make the same trees home year after year, tormenting those who live nearby.

“They go to those trees every single year, and those people just have a miserable life,” said Police Chief Steve Green.

Once they decide to settle in for the warmer weather, they are joined by more and more of their feathered friends, until one tree hosts dozens of turkey vultures. The vultures drop dead flesh they've been gnawing, they blanket the ground with feathers, and they defecate all over the place, making sidewalks and backyards unusable, said Carl Priebe, wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Turkey vultures, Priebe said, are birds of habit. Once they find a good place to roost, they return again and again. They don't have natural predators, which contributes to their continued increase in number.

Priebe has helped city officials in a few towns use pyrotechnic devices and water to discourage the vultures from their favorite spots. But, sometimes, the only thing that works is killing one or more, said Priebe.

The turkey vultures are a protected species, so cities can't just shoot them. A federal permit is required.

The birds have caused thousands of dollars in damage in Atlantic, said Green, including requiring the town to repaint its communications tower a popular roosting spot. The city previously hasn't tried shooting the vultures so early in the season, but Green hopes it persuades them to stay away.

“As the summer progresses, they just multiply and multiply and multiply,” said Green. “I don't know where the little suckers go during the winter, but I wish they would stay there.”

The big birds have their upsides. They're “not pretty, and they don't sing like a cardinal,” said Priebe, so they aren't widely appreciated. But with their carrion-snacking ways, they clean up the countryside.

Their 6-foot wing spans are impressive, too.

“They're really graceful fliers. It's fun on a sunny day to watch them soar through the blue sky, but you don't want to see them above your deck,” Priebe said.

 :crying: