You manage to be somehow lost in the hot scorching middle eastern desert. You wipe the sweat from your forehead and look up at the sun to curse it and you see a swarm of birds forming circles in the sky. You had better find your way out fast because those birds are scavengers and anytime they are around that signals that something is dead or about to be dead. Scavengers play a very important role in the eco system. Their purpose is to feed on dead, injured or dieing animals. They act as a natural environment cleanup tool as they clean the earth of organic garbage. One of those scavenging birds is the vulture.
Vultures
The vulture is a large scavenging bird. It is one of natures top organic cleanser and can be found just about in every country in the world. Vultures are placed into two categories;Old world vultures and new world vultures. There are over twenty different species of vultures which exist today. The vulture is designed as a good organic cleaner. As disgusting as its eating habits are, they are quite effective. The Vulture has superior eye sight and a very good sense of smell so it can tell exactly where the rotting carcass is located. Once it finds that rotting carcass, it swoops down to it as though suddenly gravity hated all birds. It has sharp tough beaks which are capable of ripping through the toughest of flesh, It possess sharp large claws which it uses to grip and rip through those carcasses. One thing to note about the vulture is its thick long featherless neck (turkey vulture). The reason why its neck is long thick and featherless is that it can dip its head deep in the body of carcasses without having bloodied feathers to contend with after. The old world and new world vulture are similar in the sense that they are both scavengers. Vultures are not picky eaters, they will devour just about all parts of the animal bone clean.
If you are wondering how these birds are able to eat these maggot filled rotting carcasses is that the magic is in the stomach. The vulture is able to kill the harmful bacteria found in rotting flesh with its strong stomach acids. The rotting carcass is no match for the vultures stomach as it literally disintegration the bacteria. Talking about having a strong stomach!
The vulture is a large scavenging bird. It is one of natures top organic cleanser and can be found just about in every country in the world. Vultures are placed into two categories;Old world vultures and new world vultures. There are over twenty different species of vultures which exist today. The vulture is designed as a good organic cleaner. As disgusting as its eating habits are, they are quite effective. The Vulture has superior eye sight and a very good sense of smell so it can tell exactly where the rotting carcass is located. Once it finds that rotting carcass, it swoops down to it as though suddenly gravity hated all birds. It has sharp tough beaks which are capable of ripping through the toughest of flesh, It possess sharp large claws which it uses to grip and rip through those carcasses. One thing to note about the vulture is its thick long featherless neck (turkey vulture). The reason why its neck is long thick and featherless is that it can dip its head deep in the body of carcasses without having bloodied feathers to contend with after. The old world and new world vulture are similar in the sense that they are both scavengers. Vultures are not picky eaters, they will devour just about all parts of the animal bone clean.
If you are wondering how these birds are able to eat these maggot filled rotting carcasses is that the magic is in the stomach. The vulture is able to kill the harmful bacteria found in rotting flesh with its strong stomach acids. The rotting carcass is no match for the vultures stomach as it literally disintegration the bacteria. Talking about having a strong stomach!
Buzzards
The buzzard is also considered a scavenger in its own right. The buzzard can be found inhabiting deserts, forest and grasslands. Even though the buzzard will hunt for its food, it passes up no opportunity on feeding on the rotting remains of any dead animal. Buzzards may not be as powerful as vultures, but they also play a great role in disposal f organic matter from our eco-system. Buzzards are graceful flyers - soaring at great heights and moving their wings only to adjust to changing air currents.
The buzzard is also considered a scavenger in its own right. The buzzard can be found inhabiting deserts, forest and grasslands. Even though the buzzard will hunt for its food, it passes up no opportunity on feeding on the rotting remains of any dead animal. Buzzards may not be as powerful as vultures, but they also play a great role in disposal f organic matter from our eco-system. Buzzards are graceful flyers - soaring at great heights and moving their wings only to adjust to changing air currents.
New Age Vultures
The California Condor is considered to be a new age vulture. You will notice certain similarities such as the featherless neck and face with these carrion eaters. The California vulture is a large bird with wingspan of 3 to 3.5 meters from tip to tip. Just like the old age vultures, these large birds are no picky eaters and when it comes on to some good carcass gulping, they put the "A" in aggression. The California condor are not massive breeders as the females only lay one egg every two years. Seems like the only thing on this vultures mind is to eat. But even though the bird only lays one egg every two years, if the egg gets eaten or taken she will simply lay another to replace the missing or eaten egg. Just like the old vultures, the California condor plays its vital role in keeping the Eco system clean and disease free by eating those dead and many times rotten animals.
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