African White-Backed Vulture
African White-Backed Vulture
Vulture-territory.com
Food: The African White-backed Vulture depends upon other smaller vultures to lead it to the site of a kill. In turn, once one African White-backed Vulture lands at a potential meal its obvious black and white plumage makes it readily visible to other birds which also join in the feast. In this way many birds are collectively covering a much wider area than would be possible for a single vulture. These vultures feed primarily upon large game, from hippopotamus that of died of natural causes, to wildebeest which drowned during migration, to elephants, rhinos and any other sizeable source of carrion. It is common to see up to two hundred birds feeding from one carcass, which explains how the corpse of an elephant can be stripped clean in just a matter of hours. After feeding they will frequently bathe to keep their feathers in prime condition. Despite their ghastly habits, vultures are one of the fussiest birds when it comes to cleanliness.
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Photographs Courtesy Of:
Bill Strahle -- (Top)
Gerald and Buff Corsi, California Academy of Sciences -- (2 & 3)
Cliff Buckton -- (Bottom)
(Copyright © 2000)
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