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A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion.There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). [2] Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and South America and consist of seven identified species, all belonging to the Cathartidae family.
The black vulture locates food either by sight or by following New World vultures of the genus Cathartes to carcasses. [54] These vultures—the turkey vulture, the lesser yellow-headed vulture, and the greater yellow-headed vulture—forage by detecting the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals. [55]
The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) is the most widespread of the New World vultures. [2] One of three species in the genus Cathartes of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands ...
Vultures are misunderstood birds that have gotten an unfair reputation.
The vultures that became the newest residents of the Shamwari game reserve in Eastern Cape in January will have to learn to live alongside elephants, rhinos, lions and other species. The exclusive ...
A wildlife rehabilitation group were worried they were dealing with two dying vultures when they came upon the birds "unable to balance" and "passing out," they said in a post to social media. But ...
Vultures are also being poisoned by humans, although not intentionally. In order to kill hyenas, lions, and other predators, herders add poisons into their livestock. Vultures ingest the poison upon eating a deceased animal's carcass. This poisoning generally occurs outside of protected areas but is a leading factor in the population's decline.
A vulture's metabolism is a true "dead-end" for pathogens, but dogs and rats become carriers of the pathogens. [31] Without vultures, a large number of animal carcasses were left to rot posing a serious risk to human health by providing a potential breeding ground for infectious germs and proliferation of pests such as rats. [6]