Turkey Vulture vs. Red-tailed Hawk: Telling Them Apart in Flight

Clue 1: the V and the wobble

The Turkey Vulture soars with its wings raised in a shallow V and constantly tilts, like a kite hunting for balance. It barely flaps while riding a thermal. If you see a big bird rocking side to side without moving its wings, think vulture first.

The Red-tailed Hawk is built for effortless soaring on broad, rounded wings, and its flight looks steadier and more controlled. When it flaps, the beats are stronger and more regular. The difference shows best if you watch the bird for 10 to 15 seconds rather than judging a single frame.

Clue 2: head and tail

The Turkey Vulture has a small bare head that barely projects beyond the leading edge of the wing, plus a long tail. In silhouette it can look headless. The Red-tailed Hawk instead pushes a broad, feathered head forward, giving an obvious raptor profile.

An adult Red-tailed Hawk's tail is reddish above and whitish below, and good light sometimes shows it as the bird banks. Juveniles lack the red tail: theirs is brown and barred. So a tail without red does not rule out a young hawk; check the head and wing posture too.

Clue 3: the underwing pattern

From below, the Turkey Vulture shows a two-toned wing: black linings in front and gray flight feathers behind, with a silvery sheen along the trailing edge in backlight. It is a clean pattern without strong bars or spots, and the body looks entirely dark.

The Red-tailed Hawk usually looks much paler underneath, with a light chest and variable dark markings; plumage varies a lot between individuals and ages. If the bird has a pale body, it is almost certainly not a vulture. If everything looks dark, return to the V, the head, and the tail before deciding.

Clue 4: behavior, voice, and food

The Red-tailed Hawk hunts: it watches from a pole or tall tree and swoops on rodents, birds, or reptiles, especially snakes, and it also patrols fields from the air. Its voice is a high, hoarse, descending scream, keeeeer, audible from far away. The Turkey Vulture is silent by comparison, only hissing or grunting while feeding or at the nest.

The vulture searches for carrion by flying low and following the smell of ethyl mercaptan given off by a dead animal. If you see several large birds gathered on the ground around roadkill, they are vultures; a hunting hawk has no reason to crowd around a carcass with others.

What if it is neither? Broad-winged Hawk and other options

In Puerto Rico, guaraguao usually means the Red-tailed Hawk, but there is also the Broad-winged Hawk (guaraguao de bosque), much smaller at about crow size, with broad dark tail bands and a thin, high whistle. The local population is resident, tied to montane wet forest, and listed as critically endangered by Puerto Rico's DNER and endangered under federal law.

Other large soaring birds include the Magnificent Frigatebird, with angular wings and a forked tail over the coast, and the Osprey, with wings crooked in an M and a white belly. The Common Black Hawk is another large dark raptor recorded on the island. If the bird does not fit the vulture clues, check the raptor guide before recording it.

How do you tell a Turkey Vulture from a Red-tailed Hawk?

Check the wing posture: the vulture soars with wings in a V and wobbles, while the hawk soars steadily on broad wings. The vulture has a tiny head and long tail; the hawk shows a visible feathered head and, as an adult, a rusty tail.

Is the Turkey Vulture a kind of hawk?

No. The Turkey Vulture belongs to the New World vultures (Cathartidae), while the Red-tailed Hawk belongs to the hawks and eagles (Accipitridae). The vulture eats carrion and is introduced in Puerto Rico; the hawk is a native predator of live prey.

Which is bigger, the Turkey Vulture or the Red-tailed Hawk?

The vulture has the larger wingspan, about six feet (170–183 cm) versus 45–52 inches for the hawk. Still, a Red-tailed Hawk can weigh up to 1.6 kg, so the weight difference is smaller than it looks in the air.

What sound does the Red-tailed Hawk make?

A high, hoarse, descending scream, often written as keeeeer. It is very different from the Turkey Vulture, which does not sing and only hisses or grunts. If you hear a scream from the sky, a hawk is far more likely.

Why doesn't a young Red-tailed Hawk have a red tail?

Juveniles have a brown, barred tail and gain the rusty tail when they molt into adult plumage. A hawk without a red tail may simply be young. Confirm it with the feathered head and wings that are not held in a V.