vulture
Sign in to saveA vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and South America and consist of seven species. A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald, unfeathered head. This bare skin is thought to keep the head clean when feeding, and also plays an important role in thermoregulation.
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A vulture is a large scavenging bird that feeds on carrion, with 23 living species found across the world—16 in Europe, Africa, and Asia, and 7 in the Americas. Many vultures have distinctive bald heads that help them stay clean while feeding and regulate their body temperature, making them well-adapted to their ecological role.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
9 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy
- Old World
- New World
- Feeding
- Conservation status
- In myth and culture
- See also
- References
- External links
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and South America and consist of seven species. A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald, unfeathered head. This bare skin is thought to keep the head clean when feeding, and also plays an important role in thermoregulation.
Vultures have been observed to hunch their bodies and tuck in their heads in the cold, and open their wings and stretch their necks in the heat. They also urinate on themselves as a means of cooling their bodies.