All living species of New World vultures and condors are scavengers.
 Their diet is overwhelmingly composed of carrion, and they are commonly seen in carcasses.
 Other additions to the diet include fruit (especially rotten fruit) and garbage.
An unusual characteristic of the species in genus Cathartes is a highly developed sense of smell, which they use to find carrion.
They locate carrion by detecting the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the bodies of decaying animals.
The olfactory lobe of the brains in these species, which is responsible for processing smells, is particularly large compared to that of other animals.
Other species, such as the American black vulture and the king vulture, have weak senses of smell and find food only by sight, sometimes by following Cathartes vultures and other scavengers.
All living species of New World vultures and condors are scavengers.  Their diet is overwhelmingly composed of carrion, and they are commonly seen in carcasses.  Other additions to the diet include fruit (especially rotten fruit) and garbage. An unusual characteristic of the species in genus Cathartes is a highly developed sense of smell, which they use to find carrion. They locate carrion by detecting the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the bodies of decaying animals. The olfactory lobe of the brains in these species, which is responsible for processing smells, is particularly large compared to that of other animals. Other species, such as the American black vulture and the king vulture, have weak senses of smell and find food only by sight, sometimes by following Cathartes vultures and other scavengers.
New World vulture