Turkey Vultures

Turkey vultures are very common in California. I usually seem them hovering above open fields. Here is a picture of one up close from the San Francisco Zoo.

Below is the best picture that I've taken so far. You can see that his beak is white and you can almost make out the black ring around his eye.

This is usually all that I can photograph.

Their wingspan is 69 inches.

I like the silvery underwing feathers.

Some people find them creepy looking because of the lack of feathers on their head. Vultures don't have feathers on their head because they stick their heads inside carcasses and the feathers would harbor bacteria.

I see them as graceful.