Species Name: Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

Length: 27 inches (69 cm). Wingspan: 69 inches (175 cm).

Description: Appears black at a distance; dark brown up close. When seen overhead in flight, underwings look two-toned, with silver-gray flight feathers contrasting with dark linings. Adult birds have scarlet red head and ivory colored bill, which may not be visible on high flying birds. Immature birds have grayish head with similar colored bill. Legs of adult are dull red; immatures have gray legs. Head is unfeathered; bill is large and hooked at end.

Range: Seen throughout almost all of the Lower 48 states in summer, and the southern parts of the prairie provinces of Canada. Found year round in lower half of the U.S. and Mexico.

Behavior: Scavenges on carrion. Soars on warm air thermals, circling on fixed wings held in a slight dihedral to gain altitude. Watches other vultures at great distance and all converge on any carrion discovered by one bird. Rocks from side to side in flight instead of pumping wings. Sits in large trees, on cliffs, or tall structures in early morning with wings extended, soaking up the morning heat, before departing in mass when air becomes warm enough.

Odd Facts: Often incorrectly called "buzzard." Buzzard is the proper term for some buteo hawks in Great Britain. Regulates body temperature by defecating on own legs, which then provide evaporative cooling. When cornered on the ground by a predator or human, last line of defense is regurgitation.

Related or Similar Species: There are two other members of the American vulture family: the Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), and the California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). California Condors are much larger and show prominent white areas along the underwing. Condors are restricted to re-introduction areas in southern California and the Vermilion Cliff area of Arizona north of the Grand Canyon. All condors in the wild today show prominent numbered disks on the wing for scientific identification and tracking. Black Vultures are smaller than Turkey Vultures, with a dark slate gray head and a noticeably short tail. The flight feathers at the end of the wing of Black Vultures are white, making an obvious pale patch unlike the two-tone look of Turkey Vultures. Black Vultures flap more than Turkey Vultures. Black Vultures have a more limited range in the southern US. Where they occur together they often form large mixed flocks in flight and at roosts.

Identification: Problems of identification seldom occur, but when they do, are mostly the result of trying to name a very distant bird. At a distance, Golden Eagles can sometimes show the shallow V of the vulture wing dihedral, but head size and shape and any flapping are clues to look for. In the southwestern US, the Zone-tailed Hawk (Buteo albonotatus) is remarkably similar, with a two-tone underwing, a long tail, and a shallow dihedral. This is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation that allows Zone-tailed Hawks to get closer to prey. On close examination, the Zone-tailed Hawk shows white bands in the tail, but this can be easy to overlook in the field.

Advice on Finding and Photographing: Look for Turkey Vultures in open country during the warmer months of the year. They are easy to spot at great distance while they are soaring. In cattle country, where carcasses of cows are often left lying about, vultures can often be found. If a roosting location is discovered, it can provide easy photography when the birds all come in late in the day and again when they make a mass departure in mid morning. The biggest challenge is to expose the birds correctly. Enough exposure must b given to record detail in the dark plumage without overexposing the pale beak or light sky.

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