Vultures are huge birds that mostly eat dead creatures, known as carrion. But have you ever thought about what exactly vultures munch on when they are looking for food?
This post will check out the vulture’s meals deeply, looking at what kinds of carrion they eat, how their way of finding food and special abilities allow them to eat, the differences between types of vultures, and why they play such an important role in nature.
First, let’s look at the main question – what do vultures eat?
What Do Vultures Eat?
Vultures are scavengers. This means they mostly eat animals that are already dead and that they did not kill themselves.
The scientific word for animal bodies left behind by predators or creatures that passed away naturally is “carrion.” Carrion makes up about 90% of what vultures eat. This includes dead bodies of big mammals like cows, deer, pigs, and even elephants or whales in some habitats.
Vultures have very tough stomach acid and defense systems that let them eat rotting meat that would make most other animals ill or die.
Besides carrion, vultures sometimes nibble on plants, bugs, eggs stolen from nests, or tiny live prey. But dead bodies of large animals give them most of their food.
Next, we’ll see how vultures use fantastic adaptations like soaring and sharp eyesight to look for things to eat.
Vultures Eat Carrion from Big Animals
Vultures have some important features and ways of acting that help them check wide areas to find their next snack. A vulture gliding way up high has a much better opportunity to spot a dead body than a predator on the ground.
Love for Dead Farm Animals and Big Game
Vultures like to eat newly dead big mammals such as cows, pigs, deer, and other game creatures. Most vulture species do not have strong enough beaks and claws to open tough hides.
So they depend on coyotes or lions to make the first cut into a body. Then the vultures eat everything left over. Studies show farm livestock and wild hoofed animals make up over 75% of what vultures eat worldwide.
Spot Carcasses from Way Up High
Vultures are very good at finding carrion because they sail at heights over 4,000 feet up, higher than any other bird. From a mile high, a vulture can scan 150 square miles or more of ground with its sharp eyes.
One study found that vultures circled directly over 87% of dead bodies that were on the ground below them. This allows them to beat competing predators and scavengers to freshly dead meat.
Not All Vultures Eat the Same Things
While vultures around the world share some common meals, what they like to eat and how they find food varies by type of vulture and habitat. There are over a dozen types of these iconic scavengers on continents worldwide.
We’ll highlight key differences in diets between big groups like the giant Andean and California condors, African vultures, and the weird bearded vultures.
New World vs Old World Vultures
Vultures fall into two main families – New World or Cathartid vultures native to North and South America and Old World or Accipitrid vultures from Europe, Asia, and Africa.
New World vultures like the California, Andean, and black vultures have bald heads, weaker beaks, and a better sense of smell to find carrion.
Old World vultures including the bearded, Egyptian, and griffon vultures have feathered heads and more powerful beaks for tearing meat.
Turkey, black, and Egyptian vultures even sometimes hunt tiny prey. Bigger vulture species munch on bigger dead creatures.
Unique Ways of Eating
Some vultures fill one-of-a-kind roles while eating. For example, the endangered bearded vulture is unique because up to 80% of its meals are not meat but cracked bones and bone marrow.
It drops big bones from over 160 feet high to break them open and eat the nutritious insides! The enormous Andean condor uses its 10+ foot wide wings to scan large mountain terrain for dead stuff.
By contrast, the critically endangered slender-billed vulture finds scraps in more forested habitats. Different vultures have customized ways like these to feast on carrion without competing too much for the same foods.
Scavenging Helps Vultures Survive
Vultures have many clever adaptations to find dead critters in all kinds of places. But why is eating dead stuff so important for vultures?
Scavenging gives them key benefits that help these soaring birds live and fill a key role in nature.
Play a Crucial Part in the Ecosystem
As nature’s clean-up group, vultures serve an important job by quickly getting rid of rotting dead bodies. A flock can strip a dead cow to bones in under an hour! This prevents diseases from contaminated water or spreading anthrax, botulism, or rabies.
It also cleans areas where other animals live. In India for example, vultures helped remove over 12 million tons of cow bodies every year before vulture numbers dropped. Without them, dead bodies rotted everywhere causing health disasters.
Threats to Vultures
Sadly, many vulture species are now at risk of vanishing. Three vulture species completely died out in the 20th century. African and Asian vulture populations have declined by over 95% in recent decades due to poaching, poisoning, and lack of food.
Protecting habitats, banning harmful chemicals, and breeding programs can help save these struggling scavengers who keep nature clean. Vultures may not seem as cool as some wildlife, but healthy groups are vital for a balanced environment.
Conclusion:
We’ve explored how vultures mostly exist by eating dead critters or carrion. While they occasionally snack on eggs, bugs, or tiny prey, dead bodies of bigger mammals makeup around 90% of most vultures’ diet.
Great adaptations like soaring, sharp vision, and strong gut health let vultures scan wide areas and eat rotten meat that other animals can’t digest safely.
Different vulture species use varied tactics to locate dead stuff from bone pieces to whale bodies based on size, home, and specialized diet.
By quickly getting rid of decaying bodies that could spread dangerous illnesses, vultures fill an important but underrated role in keeping ecosystems healthy.
Sadly, many vulture groups now risk vanishing due to human activities. Protecting these scavengers makes sure they’ll stick around to keep playing their essential clean-up role everywhere they live.
