Birds of prey that scavenge carrion. The 16 Old World vultures of Europe, Africa and Asia and the 7 New World vultures and condors of the Americas look alike but aren’t closely related.
Quick answers
What is it?Bird
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?No
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Daytime
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAfrica, Asia, Europe, Americas
HabitatGrassland, Mountains, Desert, Scrub
ColoursBlack, Brown, White
SizeLarge
Legs2
Covered inFeathers
Lives inflocks
Lives for20–30 years
Can fly
Lays eggs
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Old World vultures: Europe, Africa and Asia. New World vultures and condors: North and South America.
- What it eats
- Carrion. The bearded vulture is the only vertebrate that specialises in eating bones.
Did you know
Stomach acid strong enough to digest anthrax and botulism without harm.
Some New World vultures find carcasses by smell; Old World vultures use only sight.
A group of vultures in flight is a “kettle”, and a feeding group is a “wake”.
Often confused with
- Eagle
Many vultures have a bare, unfeathered head that stays clean while they feed on carcasses. Eagles mostly hunt live prey.
Compare side by side - Condor
Condors are New World vultures, the largest ones. The Old World vultures of Africa, Asia and Europe look similar but aren’t closely related.
Compare side by side
On these lists
Sources
Play
Could you have guessed it?
A photo, a few hints, one guess. Same 438 animals.
