Vulture

Vulture, common name for two groups of carrion-eating birds. The American vultures are superficially similar to large birds of prey, but are probably more closely related to storks, with which they share some anatomical and behavioral features. The Eurasian and African vultures probably descended from eaglelike birds.

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
All vultures are large birds with a naked head and hooked bill. They feed almost entirely on carrion, occasionally attacking newborn or wounded living animals. Most hunt by sight, soaring and watching for other vultures descending to feed. A few of the American vultures have a well-developed sense of smell. The American vultures also differ from the Eurasian group in that they have longitudinal, perforated nostrils without a partition and lack a voice, due to the absence of a syrinx.

AMERICAN VULTURES
One of the largest extant flying birds is the Andean condor, with a wingspread of up to 3.2 m (10.5 ft). The familiar turkey vulture is found from South America north to southern Canada. It shares much of this range (north to Pennsylvania) with the American black vulture, whose naked head is black rather than red. The largest North American vulture is the California condor.

EURASIAN AND AFRICAN VULTURES
Thanks to natural history films, the seven species of African vultures are the most familiar, but four closely related species are confined to Asia, and others reach southern Europe. Within the mixed-species flocks seen at lion kills in Africa, there is a definite hierarchy, with smaller species, such as the Egyptian vulture, having to wait until the more powerful species, such as Rüpell's griffon, are finished.

Scientific classification: Vultures belong to the order Falconiformes. The American vultures make up the family Cathartidae. The Andean condor is classified as Vultur gryphus, the turkey vulture as Cathartes aura, the American black vulture as Coragyps atratus, and the California condor as Gymnogyps californianus. The Eurasian and African vultures belong to the family Accipitridae. The Egyptian vulture is classified as Neophron percnopterus and Rüpell's griffon as Gyps rueppellii.

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