Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Also called buzzard, TV.
The bird people call a buzzard, and the one they mistake for an eagle. It is identified in flight without seeing it well at all: wings held in a shallow V, and a constant rocking teeter.
- Size
- Goose or large raptor — 62–81 cm
- Bill
- Hooked
- Where
- open field, woodland, coast
- Season
- year round, summer
What it looks like
Large and dark with two-toned underwings — black in front, silvery flight feathers behind — a small bare red head on adults, and long fingered wingtips.
The checks that confirm it
- Wings held in a shallow V — a dihedral — rather than flat.
- Rocks and tilts constantly instead of soaring steadily.
- Two-toned underwing: dark leading edge, pale silvery trailing edge.
- Small bare red head that looks disproportionately tiny.
Voice
Nearly silent. Hisses and grunts at close range.
Confused with
Shorter tail, wings held flat, white patches only at the wingtips, and a grey head.
Soars on flat wings with a white head and tail on adults, and a much heavier body.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a turkey vulture?
Wings held in a shallow V — a dihedral — rather than flat. Rocks and tilts constantly instead of soaring steadily.
What does a turkey vulture sound like?
Nearly silent. Hisses and grunts at close range.