The king vulture has short, broad wings. From the neck down, it is white with a black band running along the rear edge of the wings. A small collar of feathers at the base of the neck is blackish-gray, while the bare skin on the head and neck is orange, green, yellow and purplish blue.

The crown is covered with small, bristle-like feathers, and the bird has a fleshy wattle directly above the nostrils. King vultures do not tolerate cold conditions well. Males and females look very similar to each other.