They are among the professional garbage collectors of the natural world. That slick head is easier to keep clean. Feathers would just get messy. Students also noticed that he has large nostrils. If Uncle Butzie spoke English, he would say, All the better to smell with.
Turkey vultures have a keen sense of smell.
They can sense a meal from way above, where they ride thermal winds. They often soar in great circles over areas where they anticipate finding a meal. Often a flock of turkey vultures will ride the thermals for hours, waiting for a meal. They are graceful flyers and on the ground they also handle themselves with surprising ease for birds of their size. According to Native American legend, at one time this part of the world was in darkness because the people on the other side of the world, where there was light, would not share.