The Benefits of Vultures
As Ugly as They Are, Vultures Serve a Useful Purpose
There are two types of vultures in Florida, the turkey vulture and the black vulture. Both are ugly to see up close but are beautiful in flight. The turkey vulture is larger than the black vulture and is less social. Both have a large wing span and glide gracefully as they use their acute sense of smell to locate carrion.
This morning, as I was riding my bike, I came upon two of these unfortunate-looking birds as they were dining on some recent road kill. I slowed down hoping that the birds would be spooked by my approach. Noticing that they weren't going to move, I sped up and risked getting hit by a car as I gave them a wide berth.
My usual bike route is to ride the main road around my neighborhood twice. Once around is almost three miles and takes me 15 minutes. Twice around gives me a fairly decent workout. I had only been around once when I encountered the vultures. Now I had to decide, did I want to witness the feasting again, or take a detour? I decided to be brave and continue with my usual routine. This time around I would try to determine what animal had given their life for the vultures.
There was only one vulture still feasting as I approached. I honked my bicycle horn and off he went. I slowed down in order to determine what the road kill was and saw that it was a cat. At first I felt sad for the person whose pet was providing breakfast for the vultures. I then remembered that this neighborhood is a protected bird sanctuary. One of the deed restrictions states that outdoor cats are prohibited. If you want to have a cat it must stay inside.
I must admit that I am not overly fond of cats, but I tolerate them and have even been known to feed a few strays in my day. Dogs, on the other hand, are on the top of my list of great pets. Before anyone accuses me of bias, the dogs in my neighborhood have to be on leashes. If that poor cat had been on a leash, it wouldn't now be lying dead in the street.
Published by Fran Brockmyre
I am a retired teacher and live in Florida in the winter and in Upstate New York in the summer. I began writing books for my grandson 2 years ago and discovered how much I enjoy writing. View profile
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15 Comments
Post a CommentYes, guess they have to eat too.
I love watching the vultures in the sky. They are graceful.
We have turkey vultures here in Idaho, and they are definitely the b*tt ugliest birds I have ever seen as well ~ though they certainly keep the roads clean :)
They are very valuable members of the community. Just imagine if all the animals they dispose of were just left to decay.
Yes, ugly birds need food too!
In nature all have their place - even vultures - nice article.
I never considered "vultures" as having "benefits." Excellent article, thanks!
Yes even the ugly things have a much-needed purpose sometimes.
The Turkey Vultures are so darn ugly but I agree, they serve a purpose and are ridding the roadways of roadkill! cheers
excellent ♥ thanks for sharing- hard to believe how valuable that big ole vulture is.