I often meet the nicest people at the dump (and recycling center, THAT makes it sound better). And I often also see Vultures there. There are two species of Vultures in Virginia, Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) and Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura). There are subtle differences between the two, some of which you can even see as they fly past.

Something I notice right away as a Turkey Vulture soars above is the silvery white on the underside of their wings. That silvery white is on the trailing back edge of the wing, from the very tips all the way to the bird’s body. Those wings create a six foot wingspan. Mighty wide. They “float” as they ride the thermals with their wings held in a dihedral (shallow V) shape, seeming to wobble from side to side instead of flapping which saves them energy. Their tails are long, even longer than their toes as they fly. With a closer look you’ll see that they have a bald red (often bright red, sometimes dark red) head. Adult Turkey Vultures have a white bill. They have an incredible olfactory system, the largest in the bird world, which allows them to smell their dinner, carrion, from more than a mile away.

Both the Turkey Vulture and the Black Vulture have no feathers on their heads. This helps them stay clean as they stick their heads inside carcasses while scavenging. It also helps them with temperature regulation.

The Black Vulture is very similar to the Turkey Vulture, but if you take the time, it’s pretty easy to tell the difference between these two Vultures. Wings are different. With the Black Vulture only the wing tips are silvery white, like silver fingers. The wingspan of this Vulture is five feet. As they fly they hold their wings out flat, rather than in the dihedral shape of the Turkey Vulture. Flight consists of several flaps of the wings then a short glide. The Black Vulture sports a short roundish tail. They hunt by sight, not smell.

Though Vultures have a reputation of being rather creepy they’re a tremendous benefit to our environment, cleaning up roadkill and carrion and rids areas of wildlife diseases that those dead animals might be carrying.