They're hard to admire. After all, they eat carrion, defend their nests by regurgitating and excrete on themselves. Still, they perform an important, yet thankless, function.
Turkey vultures help to rid the landscape of road kill and other carcasses.
This is even reflected in their scientific name, Cathartes aura. Cathartes from the Greek word, katharsis, meaning to purge or cleanse. Turkey vultures are common from southern Canada, throughout most of the United States and into South America. Northern birds are migratory, and leave colder areas in September and October for warmer climates. Some turkey vultures migrate in flocks, while others join up en route south.