Newest Member of Our Team

Tuesday 21st July 2020 we picked up our newest memebr of our team.

Tyson the American Black Vulture, the picture above shows how he will look when he is a mature adult.

Above is a picture of Tyson when we picked him up, he is 5 weeks old and still 'Tray Feeding' twice a day, he is such a little sweetie.

Above is a picture of Tyson showing off his beautiful wings.

Above is a picture of Tyson now all grown up showing off his impressive wingspan at a school visit.

Below is a Short Video Clip of Tyson 5 Weeks OIld Feeding

Information

Black Vultures are scavengers and feed primarily on carrion. Vultures are part of nature’s clean-up crew. They rid the landscape of deteriorating carcasses and help curb the spread of dangerous diseases and bacteria. Their stomachs have strong enzymes that kill off dangerous toxins and microorganisms.

Vultures lack the powerful feet that are characteristic of other raptors like eagles and hawks. They have long toes with blunted talons, which are easier for walking. Black Vultures typically do not use their feet when feeding. 

Vultures have long, hooked bills that are designed for tearing pieces of food. Vultures lack feathers on their heads so that they can more easily keep themselves clean when eating. Vultures will often insert their head completely inside the carcass they are cleaning up. 

The legs of vultures are usually coated white, due to the dried uric acid of their excrement. Vultures will mute, excrete waste onto their legs, serving two different purposes:

In warm weather, muting on their legs serves as part of their thermoregulation, it helps to cool down their body temperature.

When vultures step into a carcass, touching possibly contaminated flesh, they risk tracking bacteria around on their legs. The vultures will excrete onto their legs, and the highly acidic uric acids kill off bacteria and toxins that may be on the bird’s legs.

In the early mornings, vultures often will sit with their wings spread wide, increasing the surface area of their bodies so that the sun can more easily warm them. This is called the “horaltic pose”.

Black Vultures are “family-oriented” birds – they feed their young for up to eight months after their young have fledged and often stay together in family groups.

Vultures lack a voice box; their vocalizations include rasping hisses and grunts. 

Vultures can live to be 25 years old.

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