Bird of the week: turkey vulture
About: A large vulture with black feathers and a bald red head. Their flight profile is quite distinct, with wings being upturned, creating a “V” shape. They mainly soar in thermals, which are rising bodies of warm air, in search of dead animals.
Where to find this bird: Watch for turkey vultures as they soar overhead. On warmer days, they like to soar in thermals. When to find this bird: March–October.
Fun fact: Turkey vultures find their food with their extremely acute sense of smell. Even though they look similar to vultures in Africa and Eurasia, they are in a different taxonomic order. One of the differences between them is that turkey vultures have a much more acute sense of smell than Eurasian and African vultures, which find their food with their good eyesight.