World of the Versatile Vulture Quiz

Answer: Australia

It has been discovered that vultures used to inhabit Australia, but this was during the Pleistocene period (the "Ice Age"). The remains of this bird was at first thought to be an eagle, but scientists have confirmed that vultures did once live in Australia, but became extinct there.

The species discovered in Australia has been renamed "Cryptogyps lacertosus" which means "powerful, hidden vulture." It was comparable in size to the wedge-tailed eagle, but studies have shown it was a scavenger rather than a hunter. The clue to this was in the legs, with the tarsus (lower leg bone) being less developed for killing, when compared to the anatomy of eagles which regularly use their legs to kill prey.

Answer: Cinereous vulture

The cinereous vulture, or the Eurasian black vulture, is not only the largest extant Old World vulture, but one of the largest and heaviest birds of modern times. On average it is around 3.3 feet (1m) long and has a wingspan of around 10 feet (3 m). It has black to dark brown plumage, with white and grey patches around the head.

Cinereous vultures are especially sensitive to being disturbed by humans, particularly during breeding season. This has led to a sharp decline in the bird's population, becoming extinct in several countries. Its main population is split in two, with half inhabiting the Iberian Peninsula and the other half inhabiting Greece. Fortunately, however, there has been an increase in the cinereous vulture's population since the 1980s. They were reintroduced to France in the 1990s, and its population is ever expanding.

Old World vultures inhabit Europe, Africa and Asia. New World vultures are found across the Western hemisphere, from Canada to South America.

Answer: To keep clean whilst eating a carcass

Scientists have long asserted that do not have feathers on their heads because when they are feasting on a carcass, they will often insert their head fully inside it. If their heads had feathers, they would quickly become matted and dirty. While they may have evolved to be bald for this reason, it is worth noting that other scavenging birds such as the petrel, are not bald.

Another suggested reason for the vulture's baldness is thermoregulation. Researchers used infrared photography on the griffon vulture, and this showed that their bald heads were warmer than the rest of the body. When the vulture gets too hot it can fly and lose heat via the air streaming across its head.

Answer: Egyptian vulture

The Egyptian vulture can be found throughout North Africa, India and the Iberian Peninsula. It has generally white plumage with black under feathers, and a yellow to golden face and beak. They were worshipped in Ancient Egypt for their behaviour, they performed what was seen as a kind service to society, by cleaning the area of carcasses, as well as rotting fruit and human waste. They have thin and delicate beaks, which means they wait for other scavengers to break open a carcass before they feast on it. This, however, means not a good deal of meat will be left over for them, so they have found another way to find sustenance in ostrich eggs.

Ostrich eggs are around an eighth of an inch thick. They have been observed to be unbreakable even by lions, and there are reports of humans standing on them without breaking them. The Egyptian vulture will acquire a rock and drop it on the ostrich egg repeatedly until it cracks, giving way to their meal. The Egyptian vulture is not born with this knowledge, it learns by observing other Egyptian vultures, with the knowledge being passed down from generations.

Answer: Rüppells vulture

Rüppells vultures are mainly found across Africa's Sahel region. They are found in Mali, Gambia and Senegal in the west, and Ethiopia, South Sudan and Sudan in the east. They are also found in Mozambique, Kenya and Tanzania. Rüppells vultures can spend seven hours at a time flying at high altitudes. They have been recorded flying around 37,000 feet (11,280 m), higher than the height of Mount Everest. This was first discovered when a Rüppells vulture was sucked into the engine of an airplane flying above Cote d'Ivoire at around 36,100 feet (11,000 m).

Rüppells vultures are able to fly at such high altitudes due to a specially adapted haemoglobin which allows for more oxygen intake.

Answer: Cres

Cres is an island of Croatia. The griffon vultures here reside on the north of the island in the village of Beli, on the cliffs above the sea. The Beli Visitor Centre and Rescue Centre for Griffon Vultures has a section for injured or rescued griffon vultures, who are then released back into the wild if they are capable of surviving.

As a result, griffon vultures are a regular sight on Cres and can often be seen hovering on an air stream without moving their wings as they look for food.

Answer: 2

The description of "vulture" covers all the Old World vultures and the New World vultures, including the two condors included in the New World vultures. New World vultures and Old World vultures do not compose a single clade, but are grouped together due to their similar appearance and behaviour, which is a result of convergent evolution.

The Andean condor and the California condor are the two species included within the group of New World vultures.

Answer: King vulture

Not including the two species of condors within the New World vultures, the king vulture is the largest of the New world vultures. The king vulture features short and broad wings, and mainly inhabits the south of Mexico and the south of Argentina, where it feels the most comfortable living in dense forest with low lowland habitat of tropical nature. They can weigh up to around 8 pounds (3.7 kilograms) and are around 2.5 feet (0.8 meters) tall. They are intolerant to cold weather. The gold caruncle in question does generally not form on the king vulture until it is around four years old. In relativity to its size, the king vulture possesses the largest skull of the New World vultures.

When carrion is available, other birds will get out of the way of the king vulture once one appears. However, in actuality the king vulture relies on birds with stronger beaks to break up the carcass before taking their share. The king vulture will usually consume the eye of a carcass, whilst waiting for other vultures to tear the carcass apart more efficiently.

Answer: Lesser yellow-headed vulture

Although the lesser yellow-headed vulture can sometimes be longer and with a longer wingspan than the black vulture, they are the lightest and smallest of the New World vultures. Their weight can be from 2-3.5 pounds (0.95-1.55 kg) and on average have a wingspan between 59-65 inches (150-165 cm). It is one of the few bird species in the world to be renowned for its strong sense of smell. It can be found throughout South America, Central America and some parts of Mexico. It has mainly black plumage (although sometimes have a feather with a blue or green sheen) with red eyes, a pale yellow-whiteish bill, grey feet and a yellow face. Its favourite food seems to be fish, with the lesser yellow-head vulture often seeking out drying pools for stranded fish.

The lesser yellow-headed vulture and the greater yellow-headed vulture were considered to be the same species until the 1960s. Its head colours change depending on its mood, with the colours becoming more vivid when the bird wishes to display dominance, and may also be used in defence and courtship. The king vulture lacks the ability to sense carrion via smell, and will follow the lesser yellow-headed vulture when it has caught scent of carrion.

Answer: Nubian vulture

The Lappet-faced vulture is found throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. It is closely related to the cinereous vulture which is found across Eurasia. It gets its name from the wrinkled skin (lappets) around its face, and is an Old World vulture. It prefers a drier climate from most other vultures, and typically lives between 20-50 years.

It is one of the most aggressive birds in Africa and has a strong beak which is capable of stripping the carcass of a small antelope in 20 minutes. These vultures do not find carcasses via their sense of smell, instead watching the behaviour of other birds who have spotted the carcass.

Answer: California condor

Not only is the California condor the largest of the extant New World vultures, it is also the largest flying bird of North America. It has a wing span of nearly 10 feet (3.5 m) and can fly up to 15,000 feet (4,570 m). Native Americans revered the California condor as sacred, often seeing them while living in open spaces of America. By 1987, they were extinct in the wild of the U.S.A, but there have been considerable conservation efforts, with the bird being since reintroduced to the wild of California, Utah, Arizona and the Mexican state of Baja California. Scientists realised that a female California condor will often lay another egg if one is removed from her nest. As a part of the conservation efforts, eggs were taken from nests in order to make the mother produce more. The taken eggs were taken care of in captive incubation, and the population increased.

Once a California condor has feasted on a large meal, it may have to wait several hours before it can fly again. They can fly for dozens of miles a day to look for food. In relation to other vultures, the California condor matures at a slower rate and does not begin breeding until they are around 6-8 years old. Their plumage is mainly back, with small sections of white plumage on the underside of their wings. They can live for up to 60 years. The California condor mates for life, and a male attracts a mate by puffing his neck feathers out while turning his face red.

Answer: It has a keen sense of smell

The black vulture will rely on the smelling senses of other vultures, such as the turkey vulture of the lesser yellow-headed vulture, to find their carcasses. The turkey vulture and the lesser yellow-headed vulture can find their food via their sense of smell, so the black vulture will soar above them as they search, and follow them once they have located their prey. Although the black vulture is slightly smaller than the turkey vulture, a group of black vultures can easily drive off a lone turkey vulture from a carcass.

The black vulture has black plumage with grey legs, face and feet. Its perforate on the beak, as opposed to a septum, means one can see through their nostrils. The black vulture can be found across the U.S.A, Mexico and South America. Although black vultures are now found across the Americas, fossils from this bird have been found in Europe, dating from around 34 million years ago. Farmers are not overly fond of the black vulture, as they have been known to harass cows giving birth, with the intention of devouring the calf.

Answer: Palm-nut vulture

With a wingspan of just under 5 feet (1.5 m) and weighing just under 4 pounds (just under 2 kg), the palm-nut vulture is the smallest of the Old World vultures. It is white in plumage, apart from black tips on its wings and tail. It has a red circle around each eye. There are no differences between the males and females in both size and plumage. They are found across Africa, mainly in the coastal areas.

Unlike other vultures, the palm-nut vulture has the fruit husks of the fruit from Raffia palm as its main food source, which is where the bird gets its name. Around 90% of a juvenile's diet consists of this, and around 60% of an adult's diet. They have also been observed to take the eggs from green turtles nests, as well as catching crabs and fish that have been stranded on the beach.

Answer: Bearded vulture

Unlike most other vultures, the bearded vulture does not have a bald head. It has a feathered head with white plumage, and a body of orange and black plumage. It has a black band across the eyes, a sharp contrast to its white feathered head. It has a wingspan of around 7-9 feet (2-3 m), weighing around 10-17 pounds (4.5-8 kg) with females generally being slightly bigger than males. The highly acidic concentration of a bearded vulture's stomach (ph 1) has proven to be effective in digesting bones within as little as 24 hours. Bearded vultures will happily eat bones from a carcass that has been picked clean of meat.

The bearded vulture is widely spread throughout Asia, Africa and Europe. Its beak is too weak to break bone, but this does not stop the bearded vulture from consuming it. They are capable of flying with bones in their beaks almost equal to their weight. They will repeatedly drop the bones while in flight in order to crack them to make the bone marrow more accessible.

Egyptian vultures are also not bald.

Answer: Gujarati vulture

There is no vulture called the "Gujarati vulture." An Old World vulture, the red-headed vulture is found across India with smaller populations inhabiting Southeast Asia. Typically weighing around 8-14 pounds (3.5-6 kg), it is a medium sized vulture. Its head colour ranges from red to orange, which is paler in the juveniles of the species. Its wingspan is typically around 6.5-8.5 feet (2-2.5 m), and has black plumage.

The red-headed vulture was affected by the Indian vulture crisis, where vultures were dying due to the chemical diclofenac being fed to livestock. Conservation efforts have since been implemented to reduce the deaths of vultures, red-headed and otherwise. Vultures have been useful in cleaning up road kill and other dead animals across India, and their conservation has been taken extremely seriously since it was proven that diclofenac used in medicine in other animals was killing them.