Pictures of some vultures including the king volture from Panama
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.
The decline in vultures has led to 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. Rabies among
these scavengers is a major health threat. India has the world's
highest rate of rabies.
Fotos de algunas zopilotes
Los
buitres americanos o buitres del Nuevo Mundo, pertenecen a la familia
Cathartidae abarca siete especies que se encuentran distribuidos por
casi toda América. Incluye a los dos cóndores.
Los buitres americanos se alimentan de carroña y a veces de vegetales y
de pequeños animales vivos.
Una característica particular de muchos buitres es la cabeza calva, desprovista de plumas. Una cabeza emplumada se mancharía de sangre y otros fluidos, y resultaría difícil mantenerla limpia.
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