Vultures The Turkey vulture is one of the more commonly viewed yet least studied of the birds of prey. Southern California provides a year-round home for these beneficial birds, yet those vultures who live in northernmost areas of the country fly south in the fall. This accounts for larger numbers of Turkey Vultures seen in our area in the fall and winter. It is however, unlikely that a famous song will be written about the vultures' return to their home base since the swallows returning to Capistrano has a much nicer ring to it.
Many people view vultures with disdain, yet their benefits to our environment are enormous.
His feet are not strong enough, nor is his beak tough enough to attack and eat a live animal. The vulture must rely on road kills and leftovers from predators in order to survive. Of all the New World vultures, only the Turkey Vulture has a sense of smell. In fact, it is speculated that the Turkey vulture has the keenest sense of smell of all animals. Because of this, the Turkey Vulture is often first on the scene at a road kill.