Join BirdNote tomorrow, November 30th!
Illustrator David Sibley and actor H. Jon Benjamin will face off in the bird illustration battle of the century during BirdNote's Year-end Celebration and Auction!
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.
King Vulture © Patricia van Casteren
King Vulture © M. Kuhn
Black Vulture © Paul Williams
Black Vulture © Ken Slade
Himalayan Vultures © rithmroc
Himalayan Vulture © Sergey Yeliseev
White-backed Vulture © Mark Robinson
White-backed Vultures & cheetah © Sergey Yeliseev
Egyptian Vulture © Sjors Ruijgrok
Cinereous Vulture © Joachim S. Muller
Long-billed Vulture © Madhukar Bangalore
Long-billed Vultures © Tarique Sani
Rüppell's Vulture a.k.a. Rüppell's Griffon © Steve Garvie
Rüppell's Vulture / Rüppell's Griffon © Steve Garvie
White-rumped Vulture © Steve Babb
White-rumped Vulture © T.A. Joseph
Turkey Vulture © Mike Gabelmann
Turkey Vulture © Ken Slade
Cape Vultures © Werner Witte
Cape Vulture © 6000.co.za
Hooded Vulture © Jon Lucas
Hooded Vulture © Anna Ghislaine
Lappet-faced Vulture © cweng50
Lappet-faced Vulture © Peter Steward
White-headed Vulture © Steve Garvie
White-headed Vultures © Steve Garvie
Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier © Joachim S. Muller
Andean Condor © Drriss & Marrionn
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture © Jorge Montejo
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture © Patty McGann
And last but not least... the California Condor!
© 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