I was somewhat surprised to see a Turkey Vulture exhibited at the zoo, so decided to see if I could find out a little more information about them. They are seen frequently on Vancouver Island and from a distance are often mistaken for immature Bald Eagles. Some interesting facts I found out are: The Turkey Vulture uses its sense of smell to locate carrion. The part of its brain responsible for processing smells is particularly large, compared to other birds. Its heightened ability to detect odours allows it to find dead animals below a forest canopy. Scientists have even used turkey vultures to find a leak in a many-mile-long gas pipeline, by pumping a form of gas through the lines that smelled like carrion.