A lot of people incorrectly call vultures “buzzards.” Buzzards are actually a group of hawks in Africa, Asia and Europe. There are 23 species of vultures (including griffons and condors) in the world, and they reside on all continents except Australia and Antarctica. The “New World vultures” in the Americas include seven species, with three of them in the U.S.
VULTURES IN THE USA
Most people are familiar with , which live from South America to southern Canada and Alaska. Their name comes from their facial skin, which becomes red as an adult. This plus their dark brown feathers kind of make them resemble a turkey. Their slightly smaller cousins, (with black facial skin, black feathers and white wing tips), have a similar range in South and Central America, but they prefer the eastern and southern portions of the U.S.
