Males and females are similar is size and weight. They are between 25 and 32 inches in length, up to 72 inches in wingspread, and between 3 to 4 pounds in weight. Turkey vultures have dark brown bodies with a red head and white-tipped bill. The head is small in comparison to the rest of the body. A humans voice is produced by the vibration of the vocal chords in the larynx, located in the upper part of the windpipe.
Birds produce sound by ventriloquism.
The sound box in birds is an enlargement of the trachea at the point where the windpipe divides into two bronchi. This organ is called the syrinx and is exclusive to birds. The silent Turkey Vulture has no syrinx, and thus can make no sound, except for a hissing of air. The turkey vultures language consist of hisses and sometimes grunts. The turkey vulture is also known as buzzard, carrion crow, John Crow, red-necked buzzard, and turkey buzzard.