• A group of vultures is occasionally called a Venue, and when circling in the air a group of vultures is called a Kettle.
• Vultures have very few vocalization capabilities. They can only utter hisses and grunts. They usually hiss when they feel threatened. Grunts are commonly heard from hungry young, and adults in courtship
• Pairing, bonding, protecting, and loving are essential attributes associated along with the vulture’s size and its ability to soar high in the sky.
• The Egyptian vulture hieroglyph was the uniliteral sign used for words such as mother, prosperous, and ruler.
• Extremely unagressive and non-confrontational, the turkey vulture will not feed on live prey, an occasional habit of its cousin the black vulture.
• A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of feathers. This is likely because a feathered head would become spattered with blood and other fluids, and thus be difficult to keep clean
• You will certainly see vultures in the air over a carcass. As for larger carcasses, vultures are equally attuned to their fellow vultures. They note when others’ behavior indicates the discovery of a food source, and will flock to the area. Often, the entire group will remain aloft until sufficient birds have arrived to dispose of the carcass in a timely fashion.
• Please note, however, that American vultures are not known to circle a dying animal.
