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.
Turkey vultures have an easier time finding carrion because they have an excellent sense of smell.
Black vultures use their keen eyesight to follow turkey vultures to dinner, but they don't care to share and often chase the turkey vultures away from the carcass. Black vultures are quite social, preferring to soar in flocks, and although they are usually silent, they will grunt, hiss, and bark when fighting over food. You can readily find both species of vulture roosting on electric transmission towers or scavenging around a city dump. Privacy Statement 2001 City of Austin, Texas . All Rights Reserved.