A black vulture by Patricia Pierce

Where are they from?

Black vultures can predominantly be found in the open woodland areas and low mountain forest areas of South America and the southeastern United States.

What do they eat?

Black vultures eat carrion, which are the dead carcasses of other creatures. They are carnivorous, meaning they only eat meat. They will eat dead mammals that they find. If they need to, black vultures may eat small fish or kill small mammals.

How do they act?

They are fiercely family oriented. They protect their relatives from others and will share food among their roosting units. Parents will feed their young for extended periods after they fledge, or grow their wings to the point where they could fly. When black vultures mate, they pair off and are monogamous with their mate, not taking other mating partners while their mate lives. They also remain in a pair year round, rather than only during mating season.

Are they endangered?

Black vultures are listed as “Least Concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Bird Blurb

Because the black vulture does not have an incredibly strong sense of smell, they often rely on the scent tracking capabilities of turkey vultures to find carrion to eat. This means that when a turkey vulture finds carrion, they will wait until it has finished, or they will band together with their roosting unit and chase the turkey vulture away.

 

Have you ever seen black vultures munching on roadkill?

 

Source: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Vulture/id