Since we are amidst the Turkey Vulture's breeding season, you couldn't have been looking at a recently fledged TUVU. They keep a grey head for about 3-4 months before turning pink. Last year's brood will have pink heads this year.

So, that brings us to the rarer Black Vulture! Their normal range includes southern IL but there have been reports over the years of them venturing into northern IL. Not unheard of but pretty unusual. In fact, while eBird data isn't showing any reports of BLVU in northern IL this spring, there have been many reports near Indianapolis and almost into northeast Ohio. Both of which are a tad north of their normal breeding range.

Great sighting!

Thanks!

This was an easy one, helped by the black neck and head, and the wingtips. I saw another similar bird today about fifteen miles away from home while I was driving. Couldn't ID the above, but it was big, and black, and flapped it's wings the same way.

I see black vultures in the sky all summer in Saint Charles

I live in central Alabama, and we have both black and turkey vultures everywhere. I got a ton of great shots of both as they fly over the house very low and/or perch in the trees off the bluff. Our back yard terminates into the bluff. They're awesome, and gorgeous.

One easy way to determine if it's a black or turkey vulture is the color, of course, but note that the wings of a turkey vulture has white across the entire wingspan, and the black vultures have the white feathers at the tips. Turkey vultures' brown feathers are similar to the color of a bald eagle's, and they tend to wobble when they soar. The pic below is of one who perched above our house, then flew to a tree on the bluff outside our back yard.