(Cathartes aura), long-winged, long-tailed vulture (family Cathartidae, the New World vultures) that has dark plumage, a whitish beak, white legs, and a bare red head (black in immature birds) that is covered with whitish bumps. Its wingspread is about 1.8 m (6 feet), and its length is about 75 cm (30 inches). The turkey vulture has an elaborate olfactory canal and uses its keen sense of smell in finding food. The bird subsists predominantly on carrion. The species occurs throughout the Americas except northern Canada; northerly and southernmost populations are migratory. The one to three eggs, which are white with brown spots, are laid in a crude nest; the sexes share incubation. Hatching takes place in five or six weeks.