Happy Thursday Everyone! Only two more days until the vacation starts! Can you tell that I am excited? I thought today would be a good day to talk about a bird that does not get the respect that they deserve. Sure the King Vulture may have disgusting eating habits but they have a very important job on this planet.
As we all know, the King Vulture feeds on carrion which is a nice way of saying dead animals. This may not be a pleasant food source but it does help prevent the spread of disease, which is why vultures deserve a little more respect from us. Have you ever wondered why vultures have a bald head? Again, it has to do with their food source. As I mentioned, rotting carcasses tend to have a lot of bacteria so the bald head prevents the bacteria from getting caught in their plumage and causing health problems for the bird. Maybe people are bald for a reason too?
The King Vulture really is the king of the vultures and are generally the first one to feed on a kill. It isn’t that the other birds are bowing down to the King but that the King Vulture has evolved a powerful, hooked beak. This beak is capable of breaking apart portions of the carcass that other vultures can’t get to. By letting the king vulture do the work the other birds can feed off of the remains. If you ask me, I think the other vultures are the smart ones!
So how do these birds actually find their food? There is some disagreement between scientists as to how they detect their next meal. Some believe that they have a keen sense of smell and can take after Toucan Sam by “Just Following Your Nose”. Others believe they have great eyesight and can spot their dinner from miles away. The last theory is that the King Vulture just follows the rest of the scavengers to their meal. I am not sure how they find their prey but I can tell you that they sure are good at cleaning up after the dead.
Well, I am done for the day! Have a good one!
You share such amazing information!
Thanks Fisher!!
Wow what a colourful bird. Do the turkey vultures up in Northern Ontario have pretty colours like this one. I’ve only seen turkey vultures from a distance and they are disgusting looking and I love animals (ugh). I wonder who wins over the vultures and crows when devouring road kill.
Great Posts!
I am glad you picked up on the colour of the King Vulture! Most vultures, including the turkey vulture, are dull and boring. Check out this link for a picture of the turkey vulture:
http://morrobay.ws/images/7-25-05-rookery-sign/baird/turkey-vulture/turkey-vulture-up-609_close.jpg
As far as the battle between vultures and crows! I would think they would both share the carcass. There are no crows in South America so there would be no competition between the King Vulture and crows.
Have a great day and I will see you soon!
Great post, am always interested to see who gets the leftovers besides Mikey!
Enjoy your holiday.
hahaha! Good ol’ Mikey! It is amazing how much Mikey can eat!
I think I will enjoy my holiday. I am definitely excited!
Have a great weekend!
Well at least it is a colorful handsome creature
I was surprised how colourful this vulture was since the ones I see are so dull and boring. I much prefer the King Vulture over the boring ones in Ontario.
Thanks for stopping by, Grace!
Well, he certainly has a job to do and he does it well. I don’t think he’s the most attractive bird in the world, however.
He may not be the most attractive bird in the world but as far as Vultures go, he is doing alright!
All scavengers do serve a very important ecological niche that benefits the world around them. I think they are very underrated though.