International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) is coming up soon! This Saturday, September 1, people all over the world will celebrate vultures. We've launched a new vulture landing page just in time for IVAD. Here you'll find links to all of our Birdorable vultures. We've got 23, representing all of the Old World and New World vultures found in the world. We've also got free downloadable coloring pages for each of the 23 vultures. The sheets have a few fun facts about each species, plus key color tips, in case you want your vulture to be true to life! Of course, we encourage creativity in coloring, too. Check out these photos from an IVAD celebration from last year. Nice work, kids!

On our special vulture page, you'll also find six different free downloadable activity sheets. Connect the Dots to reveal vultures and complete your own coloring page image. Try to solve the Vulture Maze, or play Vulture Memory. All of the printable PDF downloads are totally free to use at IVAD activities or anywhere else! If you use any Birdorable downloads at your event, school, or at home, we'd love to see photos of your finished work! Send us photos of the pages in action, or the final result – we may showcase them on our blog!

Saturday, September 1st, will mark the fourth annual International Vulture Awareness Day, a celebration of the world's vulture species. We're marking the day by unveiling over a dozen brand new Birdorable vulture species - to complete our set of all of the world's vultures. We'll highlight the new birds in the coming days, but if you just can't wait, catch a sneak peek by heading over to our vulture "meet" pages.

International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) is a global event designed to raise awareness and promote conservation of vultures. Visit the IVAD website to see which organizations are participating. There may just be an event near you! And be sure to check out our collection of Birdorable vultures to see how you can share the vulture love in cute style!

Today's Bonanza bird is the Palm-nut Vulture, also known as the Vulturine Fish Eagle.

Palm-nut Vulture

Vultures are sometimes known as nature's garbage collectors, because they mostly feed on carrion - dead animals. The Palm-nut Vulture is the exception to the rule, feeding mainly on the fruits of Raphia and Elaeis palm trees. Their method of feeding can be quite unusual, too. They hang upside-down, holding onto the fruit with their feet and using their beaks to pull off pieces to eat.

Buitre palmero - Palm-nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)
Buitre palmero - Palm-nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis) by ferran pestaña

The Palm-nut Vulture is rather common within its range. This species is fortunately not threatened, unlike many other vulture species.

Birdorable Palm-nut Vulture t-shirts and gifts

Tomorrow's bird is an Old World finch with a bovine name. Can you guess what it will be?

Birdorable Bonanza Preview

The birds in the image below have a lot in common, but one of them doesn't really belong. Can you pick out the species of vulture that doesn't go with the others, and tell us what the others have in common? There can be more than one correct answer, so let us know what you think, and why! Visit the meet page if you need help identifying the birds and finding out which one doesn't belong.

Which one doesn't belong?
Birdorable Cinereous Vulture

For 19 days we're adding a new Birdorable bird every day as part of our Birdorable Bonanza 2011. We're counting up to revealing our 350th species! Today's bird is the Cinereous Vulture.


Cinereous Vulture from tombothetominator

Cinereous Vultures are huge birds of prey that range through parts of Europe and Asia. They are also known as Black Vultures (no relation to the American Black Vulture) or Monk Vultures. In their south European range, they are in trouble. Poisoning is a major problem facing these and other vulture species, but habitat loss and food scarcity are also detrimental to the survival of the species. Researchers from the Denver Zoo conducted a study which revealed that Cinereous Vultures use a huge range of territory. Birds tagged with wing markers similar to those used on California Condors were found 1200 miles from their point of origin. While the birds were tagged by scientists, follow-up data provided by keen-eyed birdwatchers helped to complete the study, which is on-going.

Birdorable Cinereous Vulture gifts

Tomorrow's bird is an Australian parrot that is named after a number.

Birdorable Bonanza Preview

International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD) may be tomorrow, but we here at Birdorable love vultures all year, and we can't wait to introduce our newest Birdorable bird: the Lammergeier, or Bearded Vulture.

Birdorable Lammergeier

Lammergeiers like to eat dead things (just like people, if you think about it!), but they are a bit picky when it comes to their favorite treat: bone marrow! While they can easily swallow some bones, very large bones require a bit more work. Lammergeiers are so smart, they have a great trick to get at the bone marrow inside the bones of very large carcasses: they drop them on rocks! The bird will hold the bone and fly up high above a rocky area. At just the right moment, it will drop the bone so that it is broken or shattered by the rocks below. The Lammergeier then proceeds to chow down on the bone fragments along with the nutritious marrow inside. To help you celebrate IVAD, please have a look at our free fun vulture downloads, including an all-new Lammergeier coloring page. And check out our cute Lammergeier gifts.

International Vulture Awareness Day

Vultures Unveiled: 14 Must-Know Facts About Nature's Clean-Up Crew

Birdorable Egyptian Vulture at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt

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:

  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!
  5. California Condors are especially fastidious and may spend hours a day preening their feathers. Beauty queens!
  6. 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!
  7. 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!
  8. 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!
  9. The Palm-nut Vulture is so named because its favorite food is the nut of the Oil Palm tree. A veg-loving vulture!
  10. 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.
  11. Often vultures gorge so much they can’t fly. Vultures know how to pig out, and they aren't afraid to do it!
  12. The Turkey Vulture can glide for over six hours without flapping a wing. Another extreme avian sports contender, category: endurance.
  13. California Condors and several other vulture species mate for life. How romantic!
  14. 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!
  15. 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!

Cute Birdorable Vulture Gifts

T-Shirt Tuesday: I Love Vultures

In honor of International Vulture Awareness Day coming up later this week, we're featuring our I Love Vultures design for this week's T-Shirt Tuesday. This design features three of our Birdorable vultures: the California Condor; the Turkey Vulture; and the Black Vulture. The design is shown here on a baby fine jersey t-shirt, but is also available on dozens of other apparel styles and colors.

Birdorable I Love Vultures T-Shirt

Reminder: International Vulture Awareness Day is coming up very soon! The purpose of IVAD is to highlight and promote vulture conservation and awareness. As part of this special day there will be a blog carnival which welcomes anyone and everyone to participate. We are very proud to have our Birdorable Black Vulture featured on the blog carnival's badge!

IVAD09 Badge

T-Shirt Tuesday: Egyptian Vulture

Again this week we're featuring a cute Birdorable vulture for T-Shirt Tuesday in honor of International Vulture Awareness Day 2009. This time we've got our Birdorable Egyptian Vulture baseball jersey.

Reminder: International Vulture Awareness Day 2009 is coming up on September 5th! The purpose of this event is to highlight and promote vulture conservation and awareness. As part of this special day there will be a blog carnival which welcomes anyone and everyone to participate. We are very proud to have our Birdorable Black Vulture featured on the blog carnival's badge!

IVAD09 Badge

T-Shirt Tuesday: Turkey Vulture

Today's featured Birdorable cute bird t-shirt is this Turkey Vulture organic women's top. We recently added several new organic apparel styles like this one; you can see all of our organic apparel here.

Speaking of vultures, International Vulture Awareness Day 2009 is coming up on September 5th. The purpose of this event is to highlight and promote vulture conservation and awareness. As part of this special day there will be a blog carnival which welcomes anyone and everyone to participate. We are very proud to have our Birdorable Black Vulture featured on the blog carnival's badge!

IVAD09 Badge