Many people find vultures and the fact that they eat carrion to be rather off putting at best. Then add the fact that if frightened or upset they will regurgitate a bad smelling combination of carrion and strong stomach acid, and I can kind of understand where those folks are coming from. On the other hand, these birds are magnificently well adapted for the clean-up job that they do. They fulfill a very important role in the environment. I really came to appreciate these birds of prey after helping to raise an orphaned turkey vulture back when I was involved in wildlife rehabilitation. That respect only increased when I took an avian biology class at the University of Florida. So here are photo of the only two types of vultures that we have here in the United States. We are fortunate to have both the turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) and the black vulture (Coragyps atratus) living here in central Florida.