Turkey Vulture

Cathartes aura

IUCN: Least Concern

Taxonomy

Order
Cathartiformes
Family
Cathartidae
Genus
Cathartes
eBird Code
turvul

Vocalizations

rj-that-scout · CC_BY_4_0
C Colangelo · CC_BY_4_0
Eric Schmidt · CC_BY_4_0

Subspecies (6)

  • Cathartes aura aura

    southern California eastward to southern Texas (southwestern USA) southward to northern Costa Rica and Greater Antilles

  • Cathartes aura falklandicus

    Pacific coast from Ecuador to southern Chile and Falkland Islands

  • Cathartes aura jota

    Andes from Colombia to southern Argentina

  • Cathartes aura meridionalis

    breeds southern British Colombia eastward to southern Manitoba and southward to central California and south-central Texas; winters to central South America

  • Cathartes aura ruficollis

    southern Costa Rica and lowlands of South America, including Trinidad

  • Cathartes aura septentrionalis

    breeds eastern North America; winters mainly to southeastern USA

Data Sources

Bird images and sounds sourced from GBIF, contributed by citizen scientists worldwide under Creative Commons licenses.

Taxonomy data from AviList 2025.