The Wilderness “Clean-Up” Crew
Vultures are often seen as the “clean-up crew” of the wilderness, which doesn’t earn them much popularity on the list of glamorous birds. These scavengers, not known for their looks, spend their time cleaning up carcasses after larger predators have eaten their fill. Over time, this has given them a poor reputation, but in reality, they play an essential role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
Unfortunately, their populations are dwindling across the continent. Only recently have people begun to recognize just how vital their scavenging role is to the balance of the ecosystem. It’s crucial that we do everything we can to protect these birds.
Despite their bad rap, vultures are fascinating creatures. Here are some intriguing facts about them:
1. Unlike many other raptors, vultures are highly social. They feed, roost, and often fly together.
2. The collective nouns for vultures vary based on their activity. A group is called a “committee,” “volt,” or “venue.” In flight, they are known as a “kettle,” and when feeding at a carcass, they are called a “wake.”
3. There are 23 species of vultures worldwide, with at least one species on every continent except Antarctica and Australia.
4. Over half of these species are endangered or threatened due to human impact. Habitat loss, conflict with humans, poisoning from poached carcasses, and electrocution from power lines are their biggest threats.
5. Vultures have an extraordinary sense of smell and exceptional eyesight, enabling them to locate carcasses from miles away. This allows them to cover vast territories, sometimes hundreds of miles in a single day.
6. Their strength lies in their beaks, not their legs or talons, which are relatively weak. As a result, they can’t carry food back to their nests and instead regurgitate it for their chicks.
7. To stay cool in hot weather, vultures practice urohydrosis—urinating on their legs. This behavior also helps kill bacteria or parasites they may pick up while feeding on decaying carcasses.
8. Vultures have incredibly acidic stomachs, allowing them to digest bones, which make up 70-90% of their diet.
9. These birds are capable of flying at astonishing altitudes where oxygen levels are extremely low, thanks to cardiovascular adaptations that allow them to survive in such thin air.
10. In the Timbavati region, you can find five species of vultures: the Hooded, White-backed, White-headed, Lappet-faced, and Cape vultures. Each species plays a unique role in cleaning up a carcass:
- Hooded vultures – are the smallest and often the first to arrive at a carcass. Their weak bills prevent them from tearing it open, so they often start by eating the eyes. Their sharp bills help them access sinew and small flesh between bones
- White-backed vultures – are aggressive at carcasses. They primarily consume soft flesh and organs but seldom eat tough skin. They often rely on others to open up the carcass.
- Cape vultures – have sharp upper mandibles that can cut through almost any part of a carcass. They usually wait for a Lappet-faced vulture or mammal to open the carcass before feeding on muscle tissue and organs.
- Lappet-faced vultures – are among the few that can tear open a carcass when no mammal is around. Their powerful bills allow them to feed on tough skin, ligaments, and tendons.
Each species contributes to maintaining the delicate balance of nature, ensuring that no part of the carcass goes to waste.
