Matt Forrester, age 11, of Galveston, Tex., for his question:
ARE THERE MANY KINDS OF VULTURES?
Vultures are large birds of prey that eat dead animals. There are two families of vultures: Old World vultures and New World vultures. There are six species of American vultures and 14 species from Asia and Europe.
Three of the American vultures live in North America. The turkey vulture, which is also called a buzzard or turkey buzzard, can be found living from southern Canada to southern South America. It grows to be about 30 inches long.
The black vulture is about six inches shorter than the turkey vulture. It can be found from the central United States to southern South America. This bird is entirely black except for white underwings.
The California condor, the largest land bird in North America, is a vulture that is 45 to 50 inches long and has a wingspread of from eight to 11 feet. It is becoming rare.
The king vulture is the most striking of the three that live only in South America. It has a feather ruff around its neck and its head is yellow, scarlet, white and blue with fleshy growths of rich orange. Its bill is orange and black.
The South American condor is almost as large as the Calfornia condor. It lives high in the Andes of Chile and Peru.
The yellow headed turkey vulture of northern South America and Brazil resembles such North American vultures as the turkey buzzard.
Vultures are ugly birds. They have naked heads and dark feathers. They are useful birds because they eat dead bodies which otherwise might decay and become dangerous to health. Generally, vultures do not carry disease.
The birds do have graceful, easy soaring flights. They sail in broad circles, high in the sky. They have sharp eyes and keen senses of smell.
Vultures are usually seen in large, mixed flocks except during breeding season. Then they pair off and nest on the ground under overhanging cliffs, in logs and in caves.
Vultures do not build nests. The female lays from one to three eggs on bare surfaces. The parents bring food in their throats and empty it into the young birds' mouths.
Vultures have slightly hooked bills and blunt claws which are poor weapons for seizing and carrying off their food.
Largest of the Old World vultures is the 42 inch long cinereous vulture. It has a bare, pinkish head and black features. It is found in southern Europe, northwest Africa and central Asia.
The griffon vulture is almost the same size and has just about the same appearance and also about the same range.
The Egyptian or white vulture is about 25 inches long. It has a naked yellow head and whitish features except for the black wings. It lives in the Mediterranean area, as far east as India.