
Eerie photographs show a flock of vultures circling over New York as the city continues to be ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The birds of prey were spotted flying across Downtown Manhattan Friday as The Big Apple's coronavirus death toll reached 7,890.

Three of the vultures were snapped over the top of the USNS Comfort - the hospital ship brought to the city last month with the aim of providing relief for overflowing hospitals.

The photos were made all the more ominous by the fact the city largely lay empty behind the birds as they circled the gray and gloomy sky.

In one snap, a vulture was seen stretching out its wings as it flew near the One World Trade Center - a poignant reminder of another tragic event that brought New York to its knees nearly two decades ago.

Vultures often find their food using their keen sense of smell, flying low enough to detect gasses produced by the beginnings of the process of decay.

Eerie photographs taken Friday show a flock of vultures circling over New York as the city continues to be ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic

In one snap, a vulture was seen stretching out its wings before the One World Trade Center - a poignant reminder of another tragic event that brought New York to its knees nearly two decades ago

The photos were made all the more ominous by the fact the city largely lay empty amid the pandemic. One of the vultures is seen flying across ghostly skyscrapers in the city's deserted Financial District

Vultures often find their food using their keen sense of smell, flying low enough to detect gasses produced by the beginnings of the process of decay

On Friday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the city's death toll from COVID-19 had reached 7,890 - more than double the number of people killed during the terror attacks on September 11, 2001.

When taking into account unconfirmed but 'probable' coronavirus deaths, the number soared to 12,199.

While hospitalization rates across New York City have dropped in recent days, the daily death rate remains consistently high.

Stay-at-home orders across the entirety of New York State have been extended until mid-May, while Mayor Bill de Blasio has cancelled all public events until at least the month of June.

'We have to be smart. We love those things. We’ll miss them when we don’t have them, but they will be back. They will be back, and by knowing when it’s time to temporarily let them go so we can get to a greater goal, we’re going to actually look back and say that was the smart thing to do,' De Blasio stated Friday.

While the sight of vultures circling over abandoned New York City skyscrapers feels ominous, it's the latest example of nature appearing to return to places left empty by the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, wild turkeys were seen on the streets of Oakland, California.

Meanwhile, deer have been spotted in train stations in Japan, while wild boar are roaming Barcelona's city streets.

A group of dolphins have been swimming off the beaches of South France, while a puma was pictured in the center of Santiago, Chile.

Three of the vultures were snapped over the top of the USNS Comfort - the hospital ship brought to the city last month with the aim of providing relief for overflowing hospitals

On Friday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the city's death toll from COVID-19 had reached 7,890 - more than double the number of people killed during the terror attacks on September 11, 2001

While the sight of vultures circling over abandoned New York City skyscrapers feels ominous, it's the latest example of nature appearing to return to places left empty by the coronavirus pandemic

The large birds of prey have wingspans that measure more than six feet