A bird of prey specialized to feed on carrion; head often lacking long feathers. There are two groups. Old World vultures (Family: Accipitridae, 14 species) evolved over 20 million years ago; formerly worldwide but now absent from the Americas; no sense of smell. New World or cathartid vultures (Family: Cathartidae, 7 species) evolved more recently; formerly present in the Old World but now restricted to the Americas.
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Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus |
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Falconiformes (Fam. A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of feathers. New World vultures and condors are not at all closely related to the superficially similar Accipitridae, but belong in the family Cathartidae, which is quite close to the storks. A group of vultures is occasionally called a venue. FeedingVulture seldom attack a healthy living animal, but may kill the wounded or sick. Threat due to diclofenac poisoningThe vulture population in India has declined by up to 95% recently and two or three of the species of vulture in South Asia are nearing extinction. Diclofenac present in carcasses it also eaten by the vultures, but unfortunately vultures are very sensitive to diclofenac and suffer kidney failure and death as a result of diclofenac poisoning. The decline has led to general hygiene problems in India as carcasses of dead animals now tend to rot, or be eaten by rats or wild dogs, rather than be tidied up by vultures. Meloxicam – another NSAID similar to diclofenac – has been found to be harmless to vultures and should prove to be an acceptable alternative. Vultures in cultureAncient EgyptIn Southern Africa, the name for a Nubian Vulture is synonymous with the term applied to lovers, because these vultures are always seen in pairs, mother and child remaining closely bonded together. The vulture hieroglyph
was the uniliteral used for the glottal sound (3) including words such as mother, prosperous, grandmother, and ruler. Western cultureIn contrast to many other birds of prey, vultures have often been considered repulsive in Western culture, due to their association with death. |
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