Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Join Ranger Janice to learn how to tell the difference between two bird species seen in Zion National Park: California condors and turkey vultures!
Turkey vultures have small, red heads and hooked beaks, with the back edges of their wings appearing to be a grayish white. California condors, on the other hand, have heads that can range from pink to orange to yellow, with white feathers in the “armpits” of their wings. California condors also have tags on their wings that help biologists and researchers identify them.
You can learn more about birds in Zion on our website, at nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/birds.htm
Animated by Bliss Plummer, NPS video.
Join Ranger Janice to learn how to tell the difference between two bird species seen in Zion National Park: California condors and turkey vultures!
Turkey vultures have small, red heads and hooked beaks, with the back edges of their wings appearing to be a grayish white. California condors, on the other hand, have heads that can range from pink to orange to yellow, with white feathers in the “armpits” of their wings. California condors also have tags on their wings that help biologists and researchers identify them.
You can learn more about birds in Zion on our website, at nps.gov/zion/learn/nature/birds.htm
Animated by Bliss Plummer, NPS video.
