Black vultures are large scavengers with an entirely black body and a bald gray head.
Recent scientific findings show that the New World vultures, including the three North American species, are more closely related to storks than birds of prey. There are a few key differences between black vultures and turkey vultures, the most obvious being that black vultures have a gray head whereas turkey vultures have a red head. The lack of feathering on a vulture's head, by the way, prevents bacterial infection from getting a foothold. In flight, black vultures exhibit a short square tail and white patches near the wingtips. They tend to fly with several rapid wing flaps followed by a short glide.