Vultures! Nature's Clean-up Crew

In celebration of International Vulture Awareness Day!

Vultures are often under-appreciated birds of prey. Because they scavenge already-dead animals, many cultures consider them "unclean" or "unhygienic." On the contrary, vultures are critical in helping maintain a healthy ecosystem by removing carcasses and the chance of diseases spreading to other animals or humans. There are two distinct groups: New World - native throughout North and South America - and Old World vultures - found through Europe, Africa, and Asia.

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King Vulture © Patricia van Casteren

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King Vulture © M. Kuhn 

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 Black Vulture © Paul Williams

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Black Vulture © Ken Slade

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Himalayan Vultures © rithmroc

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Himalayan Vulture © Sergey Yeliseev

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 White-backed Vulture © Mark Robinson

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White-backed Vultures & cheetah © Sergey Yeliseev

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 Egyptian Vulture © Sjors Ruijgrok

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Cinereous Vulture © Joachim S. Muller

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 Long-billed Vulture © Madhukar Bangalore 

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Long-billed Vultures © Tarique Sani

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 Rüppell's Vulture a.k.a. Rüppell's Griffon © Steve Garvie

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Rüppell's Vulture / Rüppell's Griffon © Steve Garvie

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 White-rumped Vulture © Steve Babb

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White-rumped Vulture © T.A. Joseph

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Turkey Vulture © Mike Gabelmann

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Turkey Vulture © Ken Slade

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 Cape Vultures © Werner Witte 

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Cape Vulture © 6000.co.za

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Hooded Vulture © Jon Lucas

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Hooded Vulture © Anna Ghislaine

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 Lappet-faced Vulture © cweng50

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Lappet-faced Vulture © Peter Steward

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White-headed Vulture © Steve Garvie

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White-headed Vultures © Steve Garvie

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 Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier © Joachim S. Muller

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Andean Condor © Drriss & Marrionn

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 Greater Yellow-headed Vulture © Jorge Montejo

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Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture © Patty McGann

And last but not least... the California Condor!

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© Glenn Simmons

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We haven't included every species of vulture in the world, but we did the best we could. If you have a good photo of a vulture not seen here, please let us know. Leave a comment.

Check out these BirdNote shows about vultures:
Alex Chadwick and the Vultures of Big Bend National Park
Turkey Vulture, Sky Sailor
Turkey Vulture, A Poem by Robinson Jeffers
The Vulture's Iron Stomach
Turkey Vultures and Gas Pipelines
Vultures Sail the Strait of Juan de Fuca

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