They may not be the prettiest bird flapping about, but the humble vultures plays an incredibly important role in their ecosystem, performing waster removal, disease reduction and recycling nutrients back into the food chain.
Sadly though, vultures are in trouble, having seen a 90% reduction in their population in recent years. To find out more about these fascinating birds, and learn what's killing them all in one handy 30 minute episode.
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Notes:
- Old World Vultures: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_World_vulture
- New World Vultures: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_vulture
- Convergent evolution: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convergent_evolution
- Vulturine Guineafowl: https://ebird.org/species/vulgui1
- Vulturine Parrot: https://ebird.org/species/vulpar1
- Highest flying bird: https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/wilson/v086n04/p0461-p0462.pdf
- Why do vultures have bald heads?: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306456508000107
- Circling vultures: https://www.audubon.org/news/a-closer-look-how-vultures-lazily-circle-air-1
- Vulture population collapse: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/hooded-vultures-extinction-africa-mass-poisoning