Is a buzzard the same as a vulture? It depends on where the name is being used. In much of the United States, buzzard is a familiar nickname for a turkey vulture (Cathartes aura). In Britain, a buzzard usually means a common buzzard (Buteo buteo), a hawk-like bird of prey. Those two birds are not the same species or even members of the same family.
If you are trying to identify a bird you saw, the name alone is not enough. The photographs and field clues below compare a British common buzzard with an American turkey vulture. They do not describe every bird called a buzzard or vulture worldwide.
Buzzard vs Vulture: The Difference at a Glance
| Feature | Common buzzard (UK) | Turkey vulture (Americas) |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Buteo buteo | Cathartes aura |
| Family | Accipitridae (hawks and related birds) | Cathartidae (New World vultures) |
| Head | Fully feathered | Mostly bare; red in adults, grayish in juveniles |
| Typical wingspan | 113–128 cm (about 3.7–4.2 ft) | 170–178 cm (about 5.6–5.8 ft) |
| Flight | Broad rounded wings; often circles on rising air | Long wings; frequently rocks side to side while soaring |
| Food | Small animals, earthworms and some carrion | Primarily carrion |
| Where to look | Fields, woodland edges and roadsides in Britain and much of Europe | Open country, roadsides and thermals across the Americas |
Important: Both species can soar with slightly raised wings. A V-shaped wing posture alone is not a reliable way to distinguish them.
First, Look at the Real Birds
Common Buzzard: A Feathered-Headed Hunter
Common buzzard (Buteo buteo). Photo: Luke Fitch / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Original photograph, unmodified.
Notice the feathered face and brown-and-cream plumage. Common buzzards vary greatly in color, so their exact markings are less dependable than their combination of build, head shape, short fanned tail and location.
Turkey Vulture: A Large Carrion Specialist
Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) in flight. Photo: Charles J. Sharp / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original photograph, unmodified.
The turkey vulture has a small bare head, long wings and an underwing that looks two-toned from below. Adult birds have red heads, but younger birds can have grayish heads. When soaring, they often make small, unsteady-looking adjustments rather than frequent wingbeats.
Why Do Americans Call Vultures Buzzards?
English bird names traveled across the Atlantic with European settlers. People who were familiar with soaring buzzards in Europe applied the word to large soaring birds in North America. In parts of the United States, the nickname buzzard became associated with vultures, especially the turkey vulture.
In British bird guides, however, the common buzzard remains a member of the genus Buteo. North Americans typically call related birds hawks. For example, the rough-legged buzzard in Britain is called the rough-legged hawk in North America.
That means a British visitor and an American local can say “buzzard” and picture two very different birds. Neither everyday usage should be confused with a scientific identification.
Four Field Clues That Actually Help
1. Check the Head if You Can See It
An adult turkey vulture has a mostly bare red head and a pale hooked bill. A common buzzard has a feathered head, a hawk-like face and a hooked bill suited to capturing and tearing food.
Watch out: Juvenile turkey vultures have darker, grayish heads. Also, some other vultures have feathered heads, so a bare head is a useful clue for this comparison, not a definition of every vulture.
2. Compare the Silhouette, Not Just the Wing Angle
In flight, a common buzzard looks fairly compact, with broad rounded wings and a relatively short, often fanned tail. A turkey vulture generally appears longer-winged and larger, with a smaller-looking head and a relatively long tail.
Turkey vultures often soar in a shallow V and teeter from side to side. However, the UK Royal Society for the Protection of Birds also notes that common buzzards can hold their wings in a shallow V. Use the bird's shape, underwing pattern, movement and geographic location together.
3. Look at the Underside of the Wings
A turkey vulture often shows a striking contrast between its dark wing linings and paler flight feathers. This can make the trailing part of each wing look silvery from below.
A common buzzard may have pale patches, dark tips and a barred tail, but its plumage is highly variable. There is no single color pattern that identifies every common buzzard at a distance.
4. Notice What the Bird Is Doing
Common buzzards hunt rodents, rabbits and other small animals. They also eat earthworms and scavenge carrion. Turkey vultures specialize in locating and eating dead animals, often using their well-developed sense of smell.
Seeing a bird on roadkill therefore does not automatically make it a vulture; common buzzards can scavenge too. Similarly, a bird circling high above a field is not necessarily searching for a dead animal.
A Simple Three-Step Identification Check
Start with the country: In Britain, “buzzard” usually means a Buteo hawk. In the US, the same word may refer to a turkey vulture.
Look for a combination of features: Feathered head, compact shape and short fanned tail point toward a common buzzard; bare head, longer wings, two-toned underwings and rocking flight suggest a turkey vulture.
Leave room for uncertainty: If you saw only a distant dark silhouette, compare it with local hawks, kites, eagles and vultures before settling on a name.
For more context on birds of prey, read our Hawk vs Eagle comparison. To understand why carrion-eating birds matter, see Scavenger Animals: Definition and Examples.
Are Buzzards and Vultures Related?
They are both birds of prey in the broad everyday sense, but the two examples in this guide belong to different families. The common buzzard is in Accipitridae, along with many hawks, eagles and Old World vultures. The turkey vulture belongs to Cathartidae, the New World vulture family.
There is another interesting twist: the word vulture covers birds from different evolutionary lineages. Old World vultures, found in Europe, Asia and Africa, are not the same family as the New World vultures of the Americas. Their similar scavenging adaptations are an example of convergent evolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a turkey buzzard a real bird?
Yes. “Turkey buzzard” is a regional common name for the turkey vulture, Cathartes aura. It does not name a separate species.
Is a buzzard a hawk or a vulture?
In British English, a buzzard is generally a hawk-like bird, especially a member of Buteo. In American regional speech, the name can refer to a turkey vulture. The scientific name tells you which bird is meant.
Do buzzards eat dead animals?
Yes. Common buzzards sometimes eat carrion, even though they also hunt live prey. Turkey vultures depend primarily on carrion.
How do you tell a turkey vulture from a buzzard in flight?
Look at overall size, wing proportions, tail length, underwing contrast and whether the bird rocks while gliding. Do not use the shallow V-shaped wing position as your only clue because common buzzards can show it too.
Are all vultures bald?
No. Many have bare or sparsely feathered heads, but there are exceptions. The photos and field marks here are specifically for turkey vultures, not every vulture species.
The Bottom Line
Buzzard vs vulture is partly a naming question and partly a bird-identification question. In the US, “buzzard” may mean turkey vulture. In Britain, it usually means a different bird: the common buzzard. To identify what you actually saw, combine geography with head feathers, body proportions, wing markings and flight behavior.
