It's a plane, it's a bird ... and, why yes, it's a turkey vulture.

Who knew such a bird even existed? Lorelei MacDonald, and her seven-year old son, John, didn't until a few weeks ago.

Lorelei, who home-schools her son, said John interrupted a lesson one morning after spotting the unusual-looking creature at their home near Port Hood, Cape Breton.

"He went to look out the window and he got all excited and just jumped up and down saying, 'Mom, mom, there's this huge bird outside,'" she said.

The bird was perched in their yard, with five others swooping around it.

John A. snapped a picture. After consulting a bird book, mother and son concluded it was a turkey vulture.

Lorelei MacDonald and her son, John, spotted a turkey vulture outside their home near Port Hood. (submitted by Lorelei MacDonald)

"When they're sitting down they're quite ugly because they look like a vulture, but when they fly they're very beautiful — soaring," said MacDonald. "They don't flap their wings, they just soar."

The turkey vulture John spotted was marked with a blue band.

Wildlife specialist Bob Bancroft said turkey vultures are migratory, so he believes the banding is likely from the U.S.

Warmer weather prompts migration

"The fact that they've come up through Maine and they're in New Brunswick now, it's pretty logical they'll extend their range," said Bancroft. "Because our highways are killing zones and there's enough carcasses around that they can make a living here and that's what's brought them here and they're established."

Bancroft said the warmer weather also prompts the birds to expand their territory.

"I think with the climate change, unless something happens like the Gulf Stream stops bringing warmth from the equator and we wind up with a reversal of temperature changes, I think [this] is going to continue and Cape Breton will probably have more vultures visiting in the summertime," said Bancroft.

Eagles or owls might pose a threat to small pets and other animals at certain times of the year, but Bancroft said the turkey vulture, despite its menacing name, is harmless.

MacDonald said she contacted the provincial Department of Natural Resources and sent along the picture John took of the bird.

She said her son is keeping close watch for the turkey vulture's return while waiting to learn more about the bird's origins.