Facts About Vultures: Why Vultures Are Important

Vultures: Nature's Unsung Superheroes?

If we were to ask you what are the coolest birds in the animal kingdom? - birds such as eagles or other raptors would probably be the first to come to mind.

A question like what is the most important bird? would be much harder to answer, but eventually birds such as messenger pigeons (historically essential), chickens (economically essential) or giant eagles (essential for being rescued from the top of Orthanc) might be your answer.

Well, up there with the very best and most crucial birds has to be vultures.

Vultures are criminally-underrated birds, often viewed as evil or ugly. In fact, one of the definitions of vulture is “a contemptible person who preys on or exploits others”.

We think vultures deserve a little more love than they get, and here is why:

Awesome Facts About Vultures

Vultures are easily the most metal of all the birds -- and by metal, we mean personification of the themes and style of heavy metal music. If symbols of death and badassery are your thing, then you are probably already a vulture fan. After all, in Greek mythology, Hades (the god of the underworld) held vultures sacred.

Aside from the imagery, vultures have several other incredible things going for them.

Three of the top ten recorded highest flying bird species are vultures. Vultures usually fly to extreme heights to spot carcasses. With their incredible eyesight, they can scan huge swathes of land as they glide over a relatively small area. The Rüppell's vulture has the record for the highest recorded bird flight, when one was confirmed as being sucked into a jet engine at 37,000 feet (Mount Everest is around 29,000 feet). The Rüppell's vulture can fly to these lofty heights because they have a specialised haemoglobin protein which is very efficient at processing oxygen.

A particularly impressive vulture species is the Andean condor. It lists among the heaviest flighted birds, weighing in at 12.5 kg and has one of the largest wingspans of all living birds, reaching 3.3 meters.

Vultures are also one of the oldest living bird species, the oldest known living being 79 years old.

If its brains, not brawn you are after, then the Egyptian vulture is the one for you. They have been observed using tools, such as stones to crack eggs and sticks to gather wool for building their nests.

Why Vultures are Important

Vultures are one of, if not the most important group of bird species on earth.

This is because of their control of deadly bacteria in the environment. If animals are left to rot and become putrid, where the bacteria that cause diseases, such as swine flu, botulism, leprosy, and anthrax, can flourish. These can then be picked up by pest animals and pathogen spreaders, which then spread these life-threatening diseases into human populations. This is where vultures come in. Their stomach acid is incredibly strong, being around pH1. The strong stomach acid then allows them to consume these pathogens without getting the slightest bit ill, removing them from the environment. This, along with vultures outcompeting the aforementioned pest, disease spreading animals, prevents the contagions from spreading to humans. Not only can they digest the bacteria, their urine can actually kill diseases that accumulate on their legs. This also helps cool their legs as it evaporates.

Gross, but awesome.

Are Vultures Endangered?

Unfortunately, like all too many animal species these days, vultures are on the decline.

This is usually due to intentional and unintentional poisoning, as well as wind turbine collisions and the bushmeat trade. In India, for example, vulture numbers declined rapidly due to a veterinary drug called Diclofenac leaving residue in animal carcasses, killing the vultures. This drug has been banned now but poisoning is still a problem (in Africa, it is estimated to have caused 61% of vulture deaths, one incident in 2019 resulted in the death of 537 vultures), and it may take many years for vulture numbers to recover. All the time vultures are recovering, diseases they would have removed from the environment are spreading.

Of the 22 vulture species, only six are not considered near threatened or worse.

Where Can I See Vultures in the Wild?

Vultures can be seen throughout the world.

Vultures themselves are classified into two groups, Old World vultures and New World vultures.

Old World vultures can be found in Africa, Asia, and Europe. They include species such as the Rüppell's vulture, hooded vulture, and Egyptian vulture. We recommend the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain as a destination if you’re eager to spot a wild vulture in Europe.

New World vultures can be found in the Americas. They include species such as the Andean condor, black vulture, California condor and turkey vulture. The vulture you are most likely to see is the black vulture, which can be seen across the southern states of the USA all the way down to Uruguay. As the most numerous of all the vultures, their conservation status is of least concern. If you’re looking for a specific place to visit to see wild New World vultures, try the Pinnacles National Park in California.

Parting Thoughts on Vultures

Vultures deserve a lot more credit than they are given.

Considering global pandemic, it really drives home just how vulnerable we are as a species and society to disease. Creatures that are designed to “clean up” bacteria that can be the cause of outbreaks like this are vitally important. With the huge death toll around the world due to all manner of fatal diseases, vultures must be protected.

The bird that is culturally seen as an emblem of death can, ironically, prevent huge quantities of fatalities.

At Xplore Our Planet, we view vultures almost like phoenixes. From death, whether that be animal carcasses or fatal pathogens, vultures can arise and bring life, for themselves and the world around them.

Not bad for a bald, ugly bird, aye?