A genus of large American vultures that includes the turkey vulture, named from Greek katharos (pure) for their scavenging function.
From Greek katharos (pure), named by naturalists for the birds' role in purifying the environment by consuming carrion. Scientific Latin naming convention uses the Greek root.
Turkey vultures are literally named 'pure cleaners' in Latin—which is perfect because a single vulture can eat three pounds of carrion in one sitting, and their acidic stomachs kill diseases that would kill other animals!
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