Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)
"What a lovely child of God it is, soarin' up there," said Fr. Hogan in
the novel "Children of Hunger." And he added, "Of course, down on
the ground it's a buzzard. Lots of things in the world seem to be like
that."
Thus, a fictional view of the turkey vulture and the less widespread
black vulture. The turkey vulture summers up into Canada and
permanently ranges the southern United States. It is a common sight
along roadsides and sometimes above cities. These common
carrion eaters are natural scavengers, and highly useful ones, but
they are a little hard to admire except at a distance. A large bird,
often more than 30 inches long and with great wingspread, they don't
need to be fed. Our driving habits and our careless disposal of
garbage generally provide plenty of food for them.