Turkey Vulture
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The Turkey Vulture is a large scavenging bird found in the Americas that plays an important ecological role by feeding on carrion and helping to clean up dead animals in its environment. It is one of the most widespread vulture species in the Western Hemisphere and is recognized by its dark feathers and distinctive red head.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
Least Concernturkey vulture
Species
- PhylumChordata
- ClassAves
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyCathartidae
via IUCN
Article
The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) is the most widespread of the New World vultures. One of three species in the genus Cathartes of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures, and deserts.
Like all New World vultures, it is not closely related to the Old World vultures of Europe, Africa, and Asia. However, the two groups strongly resemble each other due to convergent evolution.
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Animal taxa named by Carl LinnaeusBirds described in 1758Birds of prey of the AmericasBirds of the United StatesCathartesExtant Pleistocene first appearancesIUCN Red List least concern speciesLeast concern biota of the United StatesNew World vulturesTaxonbars with 30–34 taxon IDsTaxonbars with automatically added original combinations