Two features make the turkey vulture rather distinctive: its large size and its strange appearance. With a wingspan of six feet the turkey vulture doesn't quite make any top ten lists of large birds, but six feet is definitely a significantly larger wingspan compared to most birds. As for its appearance, probably the most obviously odd thing about the turkey vulture is its bald, red head and neck. Looking more closely at it's head an even more unusual features is the turkey vulture's perforated nostrils. Unlike most birds, the turkey vulture has a highly developed sense of smell and this particular nostil configuration facilitates its remarkable olfactory capacity. The turkey vulture's large wingspan and enhanced sense of smell both help it to be a highly successful scavenger capable of smelling a meal from a mile away.