Turkey Vulture
A long-tailed scavenger rides warm air on raised wings, teetering with few flaps while its pale flight feathers flash across the entire trailing edge.
Artwork inspired by Charles R. Knight
Turkey Vultures look dark brown to black at distance, but their flight is distinctive: long wings held in a shallow V, a relatively long tail, very few flaps, and repeated side-to-side rocking. From below, pale flight feathers contrast with the darker leading wing. Adults have red bare heads; juveniles are dark-headed, so head color is not a dependable first clue.
They search open country, roadsides, fields, landfills, and forest edges for carrion, often rising later in the morning as thermals strengthen. Their sense of smell is unusually important among birds. Observe feeding groups and communal roosts from a distance, and never stop where roadside carcasses turn birdwatching into a traffic hazard.
- Flight posture
- Shallow V with a teetering glide
- Underwing
- Pale flight feathers along the trailing edge
- Search method
- Sight plus an unusually strong sense of smell
Quick guide
- Look after warming
- Scan above ridges, fields, and roads for thermals
- Separate from Black Vulture
- Longer tail, raised wings, and pale trailing edge
Identify the flight before looking for a red head
- Start with posture
- Look for long wings held above horizontal in a shallow dihedral and a relatively long tail.
- Read the underwing
- Watch for pale flight feathers across the trailing edge and wingtips beneath a darker leading wing.
- Use head color last
- Check head color only after flight structure.
- Choose a safe watch point
- Look after the ground begins warming from a legal overlook, field habitat, or parking area.
Good to know
Black Vultures have shorter tails, flatter more frequent flapping, and pale underwing patches mainly at the tips. Turkey Vultures show a longer tail and pale flight feathers extending along most of the trailing wing.
Notice these
- Raised shallow-V wings
- Teetering low-flap glide
- Long tail
- Pale trailing half of underwing