# The vultures aren't circling, but they ARE perched...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vultures-arent-circling-but-they-are-perched/137975>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 2002, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vultures-arent-circling-but-they-are-perched/137975 "2002-11-21T17:21:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![brachyrhynchos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brachyrhynchos/32/376_2.png) [@brachyrhynchos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brachyrhynchos)\
**Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-vultures-arent-circling-but-they-are-perched/137975/21 "2002-11-27T05:26:37Z")

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The European Buzzard or Common Buzzard is _Buteo buteo_ - a hawk. But if you’re in the States (especially West), buzzard usually refers to vultures. (Maybe we’ll get around to changing this usage this once we get people to stop using “seagull.” 😉 )

\*\* Second Guest\*\*, if your vultures did 3 or so quick flaps between soaring (flapflapflap…soar…flapflapflap…soar…), chances are that they were Black Vultures. They look a little more “squished” than Turkey Vultures, and have pale areas at the tips of the wings. Turkey vultures flap more slowly and less often, and have a strip of off-white along the back of the wing.

There’s a large dump here in Middlesex County that attracts a good number of Turkey Vultures. It’s rather weird to see them roosting in someone’s conifers in a residential neighborhood. The roost sites are ephemeral - they use them for several days and move to another, nearby site.

**screech-owl** , what I would give to have a vulture stare at me through a window! Cool!

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