Turkey Vulture (also known as the Turkey Buzzard or Carrion Crow)

This is a massive, dark soaring bird with a red featherless head and a silvery sheen to the undersides of its flight feathers. In flight, it is easily identified by its 'dihedral' (V-shaped) wing position and frequent tilting or rocking movement. It uses its highly developed sense of smell to locate carrion. This specific feather reflects the silver-gray underside that makes the bird look two-toned from below

Silvery-gray to brownish-black on the dorsal surface with a distinct silvery-white sheen on the underside (ventral surface). The rachis is light-colored/creamy toward the base

Tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs throughout most of the vane for aerodynamic rigidity, becoming slightly plumulaceous at the very base near the calamus

Stiff and somewhat coarse to the touch. The surface has a matte to slightly waxy finish, which helps with water repellency during flight

Characteristic 'silver' underside appearance, extreme asymmetry of the vane, and a thick, creamy-white calamus and lower rachis

Found in open and semi-open areas including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures, and deserts. Heavily reliant on thermals over varied terrain including the Appalachian ridges near Woodward, PA

Extensive range from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. Pennsylvania populations are largely migratory, heading south for winter

Nature's cleaning crew; as obligate scavengers, they remove decaying organic matter from the environment, which helps prevent the spread of diseases like anthrax and rabies

Black Vulture (feathers are shorter, blunter, and lack the full silvery underside) and Juvenile Bald Eagle (feathers are larger, darker, and lack the specific silvery sheen and emargination pattern)

Unlike most birds, Turkey Vultures have an incredible sense of smell, allowing them to detect the gases produced by decaying carcasses from miles away while soaring safely above

Good condition; showing some minor separation of barbs (venting) and slight wear at the tip, likely a naturally molted feather from the summer season

Woodward, Pennsylvania