Vulture
From Free net encyclopedia
- For other uses, see Vulture (disambiguation).
Image:Nubianvulture.jpeg Image:Turkey Vulture.jpg
Vultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals. Vultures are found in every continent but Antarctica and Oceania.
A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of feathers. This is likely because a feathered head would become spattered with blood and other fluids, and thus be difficult to keep clean.This feature also allows quick cleaning in a nearby river.
Vultures fall into two groups. The Old World vultures belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, Kites, buzzards and hawks. These are found in Africa, Asia and Europe. They find carcasses exclusively by sight.
New World vultures and condors are not at all closely related to the superficially similar Accipitridae, but belong in the family Cathartidae, which is quite close to storks. Several species have a good sense of smell, unusual for raptors.
The similarities between the two groups are due to convergent evolution rather than a close relationship.
A group of vultures is called a venue. When circling in the air, a group of vultures is called a kettle.
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Cadavers
They seldom attack a living animal, but may put to death the wounded or sick. Vast numbers have been seen upon battlefields. They gorge themselves when prey is abundant, till their crop forms a projection, and sit, sleepy or half torpid, to digest their food. They do not carry food to their young in their claws, but disgorge it from the crop. These birds are of great value as scavengers, especially in hot regions.
The vulture population in India has declined by up to 95% recently. The cause was found to be the anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac present in carcasses eaten by the vultures. The animals had been treated with the drug and had accumulated it in their bodies. The decline has led to problems for certain human communities, such as Parsis, that rely on vultures to eat the bodies of their dead.
Vultures in culture
Ancient Egypt
In Southern Africa, the name for a Nubian Vulture is synonymous with the term applied to lovers, because these vultures are always seen in pairs, mother and child remaining closely bonded together. Pairing, bonding, protecting, and loving are essential attributes associated with a vulture. Because of its immense size and its ability to soar high up in the sky, the vulture was thought to be close to the gods who resided in the sky. The Egyptians considered the vulture to be an excellent mother, and its wide wingspan was seen as all-encompassing and providing a protective cover to its infants. The vulture hieroglyph <hiero>A</hiero> was the uniliteral used for the glottal sound (3) including words such as mother, prosperous, grandmother, and ruler.
Western culture
In contrast to many other birds of prey, vultures have often been considered repulsive in Western culture, due to their association with death. Sensationalistic journalists looking for news about bloody crimes are sometimes called "vultures". Financial investors who look for indebted companies or countries to buy securities at low prices are known as vulture funds.
Extinction
Two of the species of vulture in South Asia are nearing extinction. The primary cause seems to be the cattle drug diclofenac, a cheap and effective painkiller that kills carrion eaters via kidney failure. The Government of India has banned the drug, but it continues to be sold over a year later.
See also
- Sky burial
- diclofenac
- "India's Vultures Fall Prey to a Drug in the Cattle They Feed On", New York Times, Amelia Gentleman, March 28, 2006.am:አሞራ
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