Vultures are large birds that eat dead or decaying meat. There are two different groups of vultures, New World vultures and Old World vultures. All vultures have very good eyesight and are excellent flyers.

Where vultures live

Vultures often live in warm and tropical regions. New World vultures are found in North and South America. Old World vultures make their homes in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Vultures inhabit many kinds of land, often roosting and nesting in groups on cliffs, in tall trees, or on the ground.

Physical features

Vultures have bare heads. Their feet are big but weak and flat-nailed. This characteristic allows them to walk and to hold onto dead animals. All vultures have a slightly hooked beak. In some vultures, the beak is very strong and heavy. This is helpful for tearing hides and meat. Their feathers are brown, black, or white.

All New World vultures have a nostril hole in their beak. When a New World vulture is viewed from the side, a person can see through its beak by looking into this hole.

Behavior

Most vultures eat many different foods, including dead meat, garbage, and the waste of other animals. Vultures can remain in flight for hours, soaring gracefully on long, broad wings. When one bird finds a dead or dying animal, others fly in from miles away. When feeding, vultures obey a strict social order based on body size and strength of beak. They always let large mammals, such as jackals and hyenas, eat first.

Reproduction

Vultures do not build nests. Instead they lay their eggs in trees, in caves, or on the ground. Female vultures lay one or two eggs. The eggs hatch in seven or eight weeks. The male helps in hatching the young.

Some New World vultures

The New World black vulture is the most common North American vulture. It is a chunky black bird about 24 inches (61 centimeters) long. It has a very short tail, short wings, and a bare black head.

The king vulture is the most colorful vulture. Its head and neck are red, yellow, and blue. The king vulture's eyes are white with red rings, and the body is orange yellow above and white below. This New World vulture's wingspread is about 4 feet (1.2 meters), and the body is about 28 inches (71 centimeters) long.

The New World vulture known as the California condor is one of the world's most endangered birds. It is about 55 inches (139 centimeters) long and has a wingspread of about 9.5 feet (2.9 meters). This bird once lived in much of the southwestern United States and Mexico. However, because of pollution, poisoning, and a loss of habitat and food resources, they almost became extinct. The California condor was found only in zoos until the early 1990s, when two were released into the wild in California. More than a dozen California condors have since been set free, but they are still not doing well on their own. More than 180 are now living, but most are in captivity.

Some Old World vultures

The Old World cinereous vulture is one of the biggest and heaviest of all flying birds. It is about 39 inches (99 centimeters) long and weighs about 28 pounds (13 kilograms). It has a wingspread of about 9 feet (2.7 meters). This vulture is all black with very broad wings and a short, slightly wedge-shaped tail.

The lappet-faced vulture is a huge Old World vulture. Because it is so large—about 39 inches (99 centimeters) long with an 9-foot (2.7-meter) wingspread—it rules over all other vultures when feeding. It is black and brown above and has a wedge-shaped tail. Its underparts are largely white. Large lappets, or flaps of flesh, hang from the sides of its bare head. Its face is pink or reddish.

The Egyptian vulture is a small Old World vulture. It is about 24 inches (61 centimeters) long and has white with black flight feathers, a bare face, and a mane of feathers.