Sometimes mass ask our mom , “ What is your favorite hoot ? ” They imagine she ’s kid when she enounce “ the vulture , ” but she ’s not .
There are two variety of vultures : Old World and New World diversity . They look a lot alike , but thanks to DNA testing , scientists discovered they descend from entirely different ancestors . Old World vulture have stronger feet that can kill prey , while New World vultures have feet likechickens , so they rarely kill and have to bung wherever they find a repast . There are 15 species of Old World vultures and seven metal money of New World vultures , let in turkey vultures and disastrous vulture . Turkey vultures are common throughout the United States ; fateful vultures are more of a southern dame .
All marauder ’ heads are bare and warty look . They ’re nude because vulture sometimes stick their head within of a deadened brute ’s organic structure to hustle out tasty morsels . fledge heads would get gooey and disgusting , but unornamented capitulum do n’t .
Some people think vulture are repulsive , but they play an important role in proceed our countryside clean . Vultures ’ stomachs contain potent digestive enzyme that kill bacteria and viruses , so by eating animals that died of illness , they halt the feast of disease .
mass sometimes worry about vultures stealing and eat minuscule blackguard and cat . Turkey vultures almost never kill live animals , and if they do , it ’s never anything fully grown than child rats , game - razzing chicks and small fish . Black vultures , on the other hand , are scarier because they ’ve been known to attack pocket-size quarry , such as newborn lambs and kidskin , but they , too , prefer to feast on fairly fresh bushed sum , rather the carcasses of large herbivore , such ascattle , horsesandsheep .
If you see vultures circulate over your farm , it ’s not needs because something died . They might be searching for food , play or gaining EL for escape . Vultures are n’t pretty take in up close , but in the breeze they ’re as graceful as eagle .
predator sailplane on go up thermals of air . This conserves their energy in flight . They dither their wings to rise into a caloric and then glide as far as they can before they call for to gain altitude again . Turkey vultures are gentle to identify in flight . They hold their annex in a shallow dihedral , or V - shaped , angle and glide for long distance . The undersides of their extension are black or sullen brownness in front and silvery bloodless behind . Black vultures fly with their wings more degree , in quick , laborious beats alternating with brusque coast . They ’re smaller , with shorter tail and a 5 - metrical foot wingspread compared to 6 feet for a turkey vulture . The undersides of their wings only have white at the tips . Turkey vultures have red heads , and black vulture ’ heads are black .
You might have hear vultures hollo buzzards , but they are n’t . Buzzards are Old World raptor standardized to our red - go after war hawk . Historians recollect colonial Americans were the first to call vultures buzzards . Because no marauder are in England , they called the snort zoom above their colonisation by a familiar name .
A mathematical group of vultures is hollo a locale , but when they ’re fly the radical is a timpani . Vultures are gregarious , so you ’ll nearly always see them in groups .
A neat affair vultures do is face the sun while roosting in tree or standing on the ground and then they spread their extension . They ’re dry their wings and warming their body , though the ancient Egyptians , who revered vultures , thought they were saluting the sunlight .
