URUBUS HEAD Cathartes aura American Vulture head-on, aura toiñosa . In Chile : Jote In Peru : red head jote , In Colombia : guala headhead , In Argentina : jote head red , In Bolivia : zamuro cabecirojo , In Uruguay : red head vulture , In Brazil : red head ubu is the king of scavengers , the largest carnivorous bird most common in both North America and South America . These birds are known for their sense of smell, which allows them to detect (and eventually devour) the decomposing meat of the animals. In fact, the word vulture comes from the Latin word vellere, which translates as tearing or tearing.