Size - 24" : Wingspan 54"   Black with light patches near wing tips.  Short tail,  black head

Black Vultures are found in Charlotte County throughout the year.  They can be seen anywhere there is fresh road kill.  They can be differentiated from Turkey Vultures by their black heads.  Black Vultures have shorter tails and you can often see light patches on their wings while they are in flight.  Perhaps the best way to tell them apart from a distance is to watch their wing beat patterns.  The Black Vulture will beat his wings 3 to 4 times very rapidly and then glide while the Turkey Vulture has a much slower more methodical beat.  Black Vultures do nest in Charlotte, though I have never come across one.

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