Vultures have long been perceived as abominable creatures because of their repulsive feeding habits, but we are now beginning to better understand the important role these scavenging birds fulfill by “cleaning up” dead animals from our forests, fields, and roads. In fact, the Latin name for the turkey vulture is Cathartes aura, which means cleansing wind. It is true they eat dead carrion, but most people don’t know 50 percent of their diet consists of vegetation.
The vulture does its best to keep itself clean. Observations have shown that each bird spends from two to three hours a day preening itself. Also, they will bathe in water whenever they can, submerse, shake, and scrub for half an hour. Then they walk up on the bank and hold their wings out to the sun to dry.
Vultures can fly up to 200 miles a day, but they are also homebodies. Some families of vultures have been known to use the same roost for 100 years or more. For years the vulture has been classified as a bird of prey along with hawks, owls, and eagles. But in 1994, due to DNA analysis and other studies on anatomy, physiology, and behavior, the vulture has been reclassified and placed in the stork family.
The vulture does its best to keep itself clean. Observations have shown that each bird spends from two to three hours a day preening itself. Also, they will bathe in water whenever they can, submerse, shake, and scrub for half an hour. Then they walk up on the bank and hold their wings out to the sun to dry.
Vultures can fly up to 200 miles a day, but they are also homebodies. Some families of vultures have been known to use the same roost for 100 years or more. For years the vulture has been classified as a bird of prey along with hawks, owls, and eagles. But in 1994, due to DNA analysis and other studies on anatomy, physiology, and behavior, the vulture has been reclassified and placed in the stork family.
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