Today, September 2, is International Vulture Awareness Day.
Vultures have always been much maligned, and sometimes even feared, but they are extremely beneficial birds. They are the clean-up crew of the avian world, and they do an excellent job. They help to keep the countryside clean, and thereby prevent the spread of disease.
They have their own special beauty, and the most magnificent wings.
I read a few days ago that vultures, as a group, are now the most endangered birds on the planet.
Their numbers have been decimated by the veterinary use in livestock of Diclofenac, which is extremely toxic. Although the effects of Diclofenac have long been known, it has not been banned. When vultures consume carrion containing Diclofenac, they will die, and it is a horrible way to die. In India, vultures have been almost completely exterminated by Diclofenac; their numbers have decreased by 97.4%.
A short video from SEO Birdlife in Spain in which a vulture asks "Who is the vulture, you or I?"
"I keep the countryside free of illness.
I save millions of euros.
I protect your health.
Nevertheless, you kill me.
Diclofenac, which is used to treat livestock, can end up in me.
There are alternatives which are not toxic, and not more expensive.
Banning the use of Diclofenac is just a matter of common sense.
Do not be a vulture like me.
Let me be the only vulture."
http://youtu.be/A_hvP_0sfGgWhile peregrine falcons can fly faster than any other bird, one particular kind of vulture, the endangered Rüppell's griffon, holds the altitude record. These huge birds routinely fly at around 27,000 feet, and one was recorded flying at 37,000 feet. At that altitude, the vulture collided with a commercial airplane.
Rüppell's griffon:
Showing the beautiful wings:
Cinereous vultures are also endangered. This is a chick who made his first flight on August 29.
Soliciting food from a parent:
Cinereous vultures:
http://youtu.be/ToJEorKfm8c
