The birds called “vultures" in the western hemisphere were named after the birds in Africa and Asia. The western birds resembled "Old World Vultures” because of their bald heads and carnivorous diet. In fact, these birds that have been called “New World Vultures” are closer related to herons than they are to vultures.
Despite the fact that these birds were not the same as the old world vultures, people insisted on calling these new world birds “vultures," or even “buzzards” because of their ancestor’s memories of the birds of their homeland. Scientists had to bow to the popular names and public demand, so they modified the name to be “New World Vultures." In truth, these birds are actually Condors!
Unlike old world vultures, condors are not predators, they are scavengers. Vultures in the old world hunt live prey, while condors use their sense of smell to find dead animals and eat the carrion.