Extremely efficient in locating dead animals by mastering
the art of soaring to great heights from where they can spot carrion –
unmatched ability to fly and glide
through the air for long periods of time without losing altitude comes from
having large wings area in relation to body size, combined with skilful understanding of their
environment to detect rising air
currents this make them proficient at travelling long distances
effortless in search of food .
Vultures needs to be heavy and larger to soar at
great speeds, hence they have to feed
huge amount of carrion(upto 20% of their body weight) quickly to take
back to their chicks. Added advantage of their size helps in defending
themselves and their food against Hyenas and Jackals, also allows them to store
fat and go longer periods between meals
Vultures feeding on a carcasses
Bare skin on their heads and necks helps them keep clean,
despite sticking their heads into rotting carcasses, their bills are sharp and
powerful to tear through meat and sometimes through rawhide, feet are weak,
they are designed for walking rather
than grasping ,More importantly this bare skin help them radiate heat in hot
conditions thus avoiding heat stress, Vultures are not very good at spreading
diseases, their stomachs are highly acidic Ph = 1.0
Hooded Vulture
Also they don’t groom each other so it’s unlikely to
transfer germs
Head and bill colour, flight pattern, underside of wing,
ventral body and general body shape are useful in identification,
They nest singly or in loose groups in trees or cliffs
