How to Tell the Difference Between a Soaring Turkey Vulture and Bald Eagle

High-flying turkey vultures and bald eagles can look very similar to us ground dwellers. Here is a fool-proof way to tell the difference between them. No binoculars needed!

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• decent eyesight
• a location where both Turkey Vultures and Bald Eagles can be spotted (along waterways in most of the United States)
• friends to impress with your new knowledge (optional, but adds to the fun)

1. Look for a head.
   If the soaring bird looks headless it is probably a mature bald eagle with the white head and tail. The white head often "gets lost" to our eyes in the bright sky. Eagles mature into their white heads and tails after about 4 or 5 years, before that they are entirely brown (with some white streaks, but look brown while soaring).
   
   Both raptors often soar in the air riding high on thermals. Turkey vultures are looking for delectable carnage to snack on while bald eagles dine on a diet mostly of fish.

2. 
   Bald Eagle with flat wings. Image from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

   Look at the angle of the wings, you'll get the best view when the bird is flying towards or away from you.
   
   If the bird's wings are straight across (see image) it is a bald eagle.

3. 
   Turkey Vulture with "V" shaped wings. Image from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

   If the bird's wings make a "V" shape (see image) it is a turkey vulture.

Tips & Warnings

• Most other hawks and eagles will be much smaller than turkey vultures and bald eagles.
• You may also see osprey soaring. They are easy to distinguish because they are lighter colored (will look gray/white) and a little smaller.
• With golden eagles potentially expanding their range, there is a chance that the soaring bird you think is an immature bald eagle is a golden eagle. From a far distance (when they are soaring high) there no good way to tell, but bald eagles are more common.
• Caution: Bird watching can become addictive!

Resources

• Indiana Department of Natural Resources

[jmloquist]

on 1/22/2009 This will come in really handy when I head back to Iowa