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An introduction to Vultures

Facts

There are 23 species of vulture in the world. A number of them come from the genus Gyps, which is Greek for vulture. There are seven species found in the New World (The Americas). The other 16 live in the Old World (Europe, Africa and Asia). They are absent from Australasia, but represent one of the more successful raptor groups in other parts of the world.

Features

Old World Vultures range in size from large to immense. The head and neck are usually bare or covered with short fuzzy feathers. The skin is often very brightly coloured. The beak is usually very powerful though sometimes slender. Old World Vultures have evolved from hawks and eagles.
New World Vultures range in size from medium to immense. The head and neck are usually bare with occasional bristles. The skin around the face and neck is often brightly coloured. An unusual feature of these birds is that it is usually possible to see right through their nose from side to side.
Having wings that are usually quite broad, combined with a large wingspan, makes vultures some of the most graceful and elegant birds to be seen on the wing. The primary feathers (which are on the end of each wing) are very large and have gaps between each feather. This reduces turbulence and drag at the wing tips and helps provide maximum lift for the birds. In warm conditions, or where there is sufficient updraft, these birds can soar for hours on end - sometimes all day.

General

Many people do not like vultures, seeing them as dirty birds. This is, however, not true. Vultures are exceptionally clean, and will usually bathe after a meal. Their poor reputation stems from their eating habits (which are often messy), and that they eat dead meat (which is exactly what we do!). Vultures are some of the largest flying birds in the world. Giants such as the Andean Condor and Cinereous Vulture are truly enormous and can have wingspans of nine or ten feet, sometimes more. In most species vultures are gregarious (occur in groups) and sometimes over 100 will feed together. Because they dispose of carcasses, vultures are an important part of the environments where they live.

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