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Vulture

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                  iVultures
   Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus
   Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus
          Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves

                                   Orders

   Falconiformes (Fam. Accipitridae (part))
   Ciconiiformes (Fam. Cathartidae)

   Vultures are scavenging birds, feeding mostly on the carcasses of dead
   animals. Vultures are found in every continent except Antarctica and
   Oceania.

   A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of
   feathers. This is likely because a feathered head would become
   spattered with blood and other fluids, and thus be difficult to keep
   clean. This feature also allows quick cleaning in a nearby river.

   Vultures fall into two groups. The Old World vultures found in Africa,
   Asia and Europe belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes
   eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. They find carcasses exclusively by
   sight.

   New World vultures and condors are not at all closely related to the
   superficially similar Accipitridae, but belong in the family
   Cathartidae, which is quite close to the storks. Several species have a
   good sense of smell, unusual for raptors.

   The similarities between the two groups are due to convergent evolution
   rather than a close relationship.

   A group of vultures is occasionally called a venue. When circling in
   the air, a group of vultures is called a kettle.

Feeding

   Some members of both the old and new world vultures have an unfeathered
   neck and head, shown as radiating heat in this thermographic image.
   Enlarge
   Some members of both the old and new world vultures have an unfeathered
   neck and head, shown as radiating heat in this thermographic image.

   Vulture seldom attack a healthy living animal, but may kill the wounded
   or sick. Vast numbers have been seen upon battlefields. They gorge
   themselves when prey is abundant, till their crop forms a projection,
   and sit, sleepy or half torpid, to digest their food. They do not carry
   food to their young in their claws, but disgorge it from the crop.
   These birds are of great value as scavengers, especially in hot
   regions.

Threat due to diclofenac poisoning

   The vulture population in India has declined by up to 95% recently and
   two or three of the species of vulture in South Asia are nearing
   extinction. The cause was found to be due to the practice of giving
   working animals the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ( NSAID)
   diclofenac, which has a pain killing action. Diclofenac administration
   keeps animals that are ill or in pain working on the land for longer.
   Diclofenac accumulates in the animals' bodies; when the ill animals
   die, their carcasses will still contain the diclofenac. Farmers leave
   the dead animals out in the open, relying on vultures to tidy up.
   Diclofenac present in carcasses it also eaten by the vultures, but
   unfortunately vultures are very sensitive to diclofenac and suffer
   kidney failure and death as a result of diclofenac poisoning.

   The decline has led to general hygiene problems in India as carcasses
   of dead animals now tend to rot, or be eaten by rats or wild dogs,
   rather than be tidied up by vultures. In addition, there are particular
   problems for certain human communities, such as the Parsi, that have
   sky burials where the human dead are put on the top of Towers of
   Silence where vultures eat and clean the bodies and leave only dry
   bones.

   Meloxicam – another NSAID similar to diclofenac – has been found to be
   harmless to vultures and should prove to be an acceptable alternative.
   The Government of India has banned diclofenac, but it continues to be
   sold over a year later.

Vultures in culture

Ancient Egypt

   In Southern Africa, the name for a Nubian Vulture is synonymous with
   the term applied to lovers, because these vultures are always seen in
   pairs, mother and child remaining closely bonded together. Pairing,
   bonding, protecting, and loving are essential attributes associated
   with a vulture. The vulture was thought to be close to the gods who
   resided in the sky because of its immense size and its ability to soar
   high up in the sky. The Egyptians considered the vulture to be an
   excellent mother, and its wide wingspan was seen as all-encompassing
   and providing a protective cover to its infants. The vulture hieroglyph

   A

   was the uniliteral used for the glottal sound (3) including words such
   as mother, prosperous, grandmother, and ruler.

Western culture

   In contrast to many other birds of prey, vultures have often been
   considered repulsive in Western culture, due to their association with
   death. Sensationalistic journalists looking for news about bloody
   crimes are sometimes called "vultures". Financial investors who look
   for indebted companies or countries to buy securities at low prices are
   known as vulture funds. Lawyers who profit off death, such as
   inheritance, wrongful death, or life insurance lawyers, may also be
   called "vultures". A prominent Spider-Man supervillain is known as the
   Vulture.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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