Vultures may not be known for their good looks however they do play an incredibly important role in the food chain and when it comes to preventing disease. There are many other interesting things you’ll want to know about these often misunderstood birds as well. So here are some of the most amazing vulture facts.
The Largest Vulture Is The Andean Condor
The Andean condor is a huge bird and is considered to be the largest vulture species. Its wingspan can reach close to an astounding eleven feet wide. These huge birds use their wide wingspan to help them glide on top of air currents which uses less energy than flapping their wings. The Andean condor also happens to be the heaviest flying bird in the world.
They’re Not Really Buzzards
It’s not uncommon to hear vultures referred to as buzzards. The turkey vulture in particular is often called the turkey buzzard, and the black vulture is called the black buzzard. However, vultures are not buzzards.
Buzzards are actually several species of hawks from the genus Buteo which are found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. When early colonists came to North America the vultures they saw looked similar to the buzzards they were familiar with and the name stuck. It is still commonly used although technically incorrect.
Vultures Have Highly Corrosive Stomach Acid
Vultures often eat rotting carcasses that are infected with dangerous bacteria. However, their stomach acid is extremely corrosive. This kills the bacteria, allowing the vulture to feed on carcasses infected with deadly bacteria without becoming infected themselves.
Vultures Function As Nature’s Cleanup Crew
Vultures play a vital role in the food chain. As scavengers, they help to eliminate the carcasses of dead animals. And in addition to cleaning up, this also helps to stop the spread of harmful bacteria and diseases that could have potentially spread to humans for instance anthrax and rabies. This is one of the vulture bird facts many people are surprised to hear considering the vulture often has a bad reputation.
Vultures Are Classified Into Two Main Groups
There are two main groups of vultures: the Old World vultures and the New World vultures. The two groups are not closely related. Old World vultures are found in Africa, Asia, and Europe and belong to the family Accipitridae. In contrast, New World vultures are found in the Americas and belong to the family Cathartidae.
The Hooded Vulture Is The Smallest Vulture Of All
The smallest vulture species is the hooded vulture. Found in sub-Saharan Africa it is about the size of a crow with a wingspan of around five feet. It has a pinkish-white head with a grey or black, “hood.”
New World Vultures Have Weak Feet
One of the main differences in the physical characteristics of the New World and Old World Vultures is their feet. The New World vultures have weak flat feet which cannot be used to grasp and are often compared to the feet of a chicken. In contrast, Old World vultures have strong feet with sharp talons which help them to feed on large animals with thick hides, although they are not suited for catching live prey.
Vultures Have Excellent Vision
Vultures spend much of their time soaring high above scanning the ground for potential meals. They, therefore, have top-notch vision. Some vulture species such as the turkey vulture also have an amazing sense of smell. One of the most interesting facts about turkey vultures is that they have the largest olfactory system of any bird. This gives them the ability to actually locate food by smell alone.
Most Vultures Have A Crop
To help them go through periods of time without eating, most vultures have a large pouch or crop in their throat. They use the crop to temporarily store food. When there is an abundance of food, they will gorge themselves causing their crop to bulge. And when disturbed by a threat they will empty their crop by vomiting to help them lighten their load and take off as quickly as possible.
A Group Of Vultures Is Called A Committee
One of the lesser-known vulture facts is that what you call a group of vultures depends on what they are doing. When they are resting in a tree or on the ground they are called a committee. A group of vultures in flight is known as a kettle. And a group of feeding vultures is called a wake.
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