Birdorable's fourteen favorite facts about vultures

Yes, vultures can be cute - our Birdorable vultures prove just that! Although vultures may be known for eating dead things, using projectile vomit as a defense measure and even cooling themselves by urinating on their own legs, these carrion-eating baldies aren't all about the ick-factor. For example:

Egyptian Vulture
  1. The Egyptian Vulture is one of the few species of bird to use tools. It will lift small rocks in its beak and smash them into ostrich eggs to crack the hard shell. Clever birds!
  2. While Lammergeiers don't use tools, they do have a clever way to get at their favorite food. They will drop large bones while flying in order to crack them into pieces. With clever strategies like that, who needs tools?!
  3. Several vulture species lack vocal organs so they are only able to hiss or grunt. No screaming banshees here!
  4. Several species including the Turkey Vulture are extremely gregarious. Birds will roost in large community groups which may include several hundred individuals. The vulture's motto: We Are Fa-mi-ly!
Birdorable California Condor
  1. California Condors are especially fastidious and may spend hours a day preening their feathers. Beauty queens!
  2. Courting Turkey Vultures will gather in a circle to perform hopping movements around the perimeter, with wings spread. Yes, they put on the dance moves to attract a sweetheart!
  3. The Rüppell's Vulture holds the height record for avian flight, with the ability to fly up to an altitude of 37,000 feet. These birds have their place in the avian extreme games!
  4. Vultures often remain inactive until the sun has warmed up the air with sufficient thermals to support soaring. These sleepyheads need the sun to get going on their day's work. I know some people like that!
  5. The Palm-nut Vulture is so named because its favorite food is the nut of the Oil Palm tree. A veg-loving vulture!
  6. The Cinereous Vulture is also known as the Monk Vulture, because its ruff of neck feathers resembles a monk's cowl. Even vultures get funny nicknames.
  7. Often vultures gorge so much they can’t fly. Vultures know how to pig out, and they aren't afraid to do it!
  8. The Turkey Vulture can glide for over six hours without flapping a wing. Another extreme avian sports contender, category: endurance.
  9. California Condors and several other vulture species mate for life. How romantic!
  10. The Hooded Vulture is abundant through most of its range and is usually unafraid of humans. They are sometimes called "garbage collectors" by locals. In fact all vultures are nature's original waste managers!
  11. Like many wildlife species vultures have suffered from loss of habitat and illegal hunting. Several vulture species have suffered up to a 99% population decrease in India and neighboring countries due to poisoning from livestock pharmaceuticals.

That last trivia point is not actually one of our favorites, but it is an unfortunate fact. Today is International Vulture Awareness Day 2009, which promotes vulture conservation. This post is part of the Blog for Vultures carnival coinciding with IVAD09. Learn more about vultures, vulture conservation and awareness by visiting the other participants in today's virtual event. Click on the nifty badge below to learn more!

Comments

gwendolen on September 5, 2009 at 8:09 AM wrote:
I really hope to see the veggie Palm-nut Vulture one day.
Canaduck on September 5, 2009 at 9:07 PM wrote:
That was super interesting!
birdingbev on September 12, 2009 at 4:11 PM wrote:
Love your fun facts. You are so clever!
FalconerKitty on September 23, 2009 at 6:39 AM wrote:
When is the next Vulture Awareness Day? I would like to know. Great facts though. Also, the Peregrine Fund (www.peregrinefund.org) has lots of information on the vulture crisis
Birdorable on September 24, 2009 at 9:24 AM wrote:
Hi FalconerKitty, IVAD takes place every first Saturday of September. In 2010 that will be September 4th.
Spurwing Plover on January 24, 2017 at 4:56 PM wrote:
Egyptian Vulture very cleaver indeed
Spurwing Plover on November 9, 2022 at 7:51 AM wrote:
The Bearded Vulture or Lamigure drops bones into the rocks to break them then eats the bones blunt end first the Egyptian Vulture breaks holes in Ostrich Eggs with a stone

Leave a comment

Comments with links or HTML will be deleted. Your comment will be published pending approval.
Your email address will not be published

2020 Bonanza Birds #1-4: North American Finches

Today we start our 2020 Birdorable Bonanza with a bang! Actually… make that an IRRUPTION! We’re kicking off 29 days of new birds by dropping four finches in this “finch invasion” winter season. A bright spot in 2020, many birders are...

2013 Bonanza Bird #16: Wandering Albatross

Our Bonanza rolls on with the addition of our second Birdorable albatross species. Today's Bonanza bird is the Wandering Albatross. The Wandering Albatross is remarkable for the size of its wings. It has the largest wingspan of any living bird, averaging a...

World Parrot Day

World Parrot Day is celebrated this year on May 31, 2019. The first World Parrot Day was in 2004. The event was initiated by the World Parrot Trust as an opportunity to highlight threats to wild and captive parrots around the...

Baby Birdorable: Black-crowned Night-Heron

If you think our Birdorable birds are cute as adults, what about when they are babies? Below are some baby photos of the Black-crowned Night-Heron. Black-crowned Night-Herons are colonial nesters, building their nests in trees in close proximity to other herons, egrets, and ibises. Incubation...