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Old World vultures belong to the family Accipitridae
Accipitridae

The Accipitridae is one of the two major family within the order Accipitriformes . Many well-known birds, such as hawks, eagles, kite , harrier and Old World vultures are included in this group....
, which also includes eagle
Eagle

Eagles are large bird of prey which are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several Genus which are not necessarily closely related to each other....
s, buzzard
Buzzard

A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below....
s, kite
Kite (bird)

Kites are Bird of preys with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mostly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey....
s, and hawk
Hawk

The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Europe and Asia, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genus Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis....
s.

Old World vultures are not closely related to the superficially similar New World vulture
New World vulture

The New World vulture family Cathartidae contains seven species found in warm and temperate areas of the Americas. It includes five vultures and two condors....
s and condor
Condor

Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere....
s, and do not share that group's good sense of smell. The similarities between the two groups of vultures are due to convergent evolution
Convergent evolution

Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action....
 rather than a close relationship. They were widespread in both the Old World and North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, during the Neogene
Neogene

The Neogene is a Geologic time scale#Terminology starting 23.03 ? 0.05 million years ago and lasting either until today or ending 2.588 million years ago with the beginning of the Quaternary....
. Old World vultures are probably a polyphyletic group within Accipitridae, with Palm-nut Vulture
Palm-nut Vulture

The Palm-nut Vulture is a very large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal Bird of preys such as kite s, buzzards and harrier s....
, Egyptian Vulture
Egyptian Vulture

The Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture, found from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to southern Asia. It is the only living member of the genus Neophron....
 and Lammergeier
Lammergeier

File:Lammergeier with boy, Kabul, 1973.JPGThe Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture, Gypaetus barbatus , is an Old World vulture, the only member of the genus Gypaetus....
 separate from the others.

Both Old World and New World vultures are scavenging bird
Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animal
Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
s.






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Encyclopedia


Old World vultures belong to the family Accipitridae
Accipitridae

The Accipitridae is one of the two major family within the order Accipitriformes . Many well-known birds, such as hawks, eagles, kite , harrier and Old World vultures are included in this group....
, which also includes eagle
Eagle

Eagles are large bird of prey which are members of the bird family Accipitridae, and belong to several Genus which are not necessarily closely related to each other....
s, buzzard
Buzzard

A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below....
s, kite
Kite (bird)

Kites are Bird of preys with long wings and weak legs which spend a great deal of time soaring. Most feed mostly on carrion but some take various amounts of live prey....
s, and hawk
Hawk

The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Europe and Asia, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genus Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis....
s.

Old World vultures are not closely related to the superficially similar New World vulture
New World vulture

The New World vulture family Cathartidae contains seven species found in warm and temperate areas of the Americas. It includes five vultures and two condors....
s and condor
Condor

Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere....
s, and do not share that group's good sense of smell. The similarities between the two groups of vultures are due to convergent evolution
Convergent evolution

Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages.The wing is a classic example of convergent evolution in action....
 rather than a close relationship. They were widespread in both the Old World and North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
, during the Neogene
Neogene

The Neogene is a Geologic time scale#Terminology starting 23.03 ? 0.05 million years ago and lasting either until today or ending 2.588 million years ago with the beginning of the Quaternary....
. Old World vultures are probably a polyphyletic group within Accipitridae, with Palm-nut Vulture
Palm-nut Vulture

The Palm-nut Vulture is a very large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal Bird of preys such as kite s, buzzards and harrier s....
, Egyptian Vulture
Egyptian Vulture

The Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture, found from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to southern Asia. It is the only living member of the genus Neophron....
 and Lammergeier
Lammergeier

File:Lammergeier with boy, Kabul, 1973.JPGThe Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture, Gypaetus barbatus , is an Old World vulture, the only member of the genus Gypaetus....
 separate from the others.

Both Old World and New World vultures are scavenging bird
Bird

Birds are wing, Bipedalismal, endothermic , vertebrate animals that lay egg . There are around 10,000 living species, making them the most numerous tetrapod vertebrates....
s, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animal
Animal

Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the Kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life....
s. Old World vultures find carcasses exclusively by sight. A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of feather
Feather

Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates....
s. If vultures had head feathers, they would become spattered with blood
Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
 and other fluids when the vultures ate flesh from carcasses, and thus would be difficult to keep clean.

Some species of vulture are very susceptible to diclofenac
Diclofenac

Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug taken to reduce inflammation and as an analgesic reducing pain in conditions such as arthritis or acute injury....
 poisoning, which causes the birds to suffer from renal failure and death, and this had caused a very marked decrease in wild vulture populations in the Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
n subcontinent, where diclofenac used for farm animals has directly led to poisoning of vultures. Often farm animal carcases containing diclofenac in their flesh are left out in to open for vultures to eat and tidy up. Meloxicam
Meloxicam

Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug of the oxicam class, used to relieve the symptoms of arthritis, primary dysmenorrhea, fever; and as an analgesic, especially where there is an inflammation component....
 has been found to be harmless to vultures and should prove an acceptable alternative to diclofenac.

Species


Genus Aegypius
  • Eurasian Black Vulture
    Eurasian Black Vulture

    The Eurasian Black Vulture is also known as the Black Vulture, Monk Vulture, or Cinereous Vulture. It is a member of the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal Bird of preys such as kite s, buzzards and harrier s....
     or Monk Vulture, Aegypius monachus
Genus Gypaetus
  • Lammergeier
    Lammergeier

    File:Lammergeier with boy, Kabul, 1973.JPGThe Lammergeier or Bearded Vulture, Gypaetus barbatus , is an Old World vulture, the only member of the genus Gypaetus....
     or Bearded Vulture, Gypaetus barbatus
Genus Gypohierax
  • Palm-nut Vulture
    Palm-nut Vulture

    The Palm-nut Vulture is a very large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal Bird of preys such as kite s, buzzards and harrier s....
    , Gypohierax angolensis
Genus Gyps
  • Griffon Vulture
    Griffon Vulture

    The Griffon Vulture or Eurasian Griffon Vulture is an Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae.The Griffon Vulture is 95?110 cm long with a 230?265 cm wingspan, and it weighs between 6 and 13 kg ....
     Gyps fulvus
  • Indian White-rumped Vulture
    Indian White-rumped Vulture

    The Indian White-rumped Vulture is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kite s, buzzards and hawks. It is closely related to the European Griffon Vulture ....
    , Gyps bengalensis
  • Rüppell's Vulture
    Rüppell's Vulture

    R?ppell's Vulture is a large vulture that ranges across much of central Africa, including Ethiopia, the Sudan, Tanzania and Guinea. It is also known as R?ppell's Griffon, Rueppell's Vulture, R?ppell's Griffin Vulture, and similar variants, and is named in honor of the 19th-century German explorer, collector and zoologist Eduard R?ppell...
    , Gyps rueppelli
  • Long-billed Vulture
    Long-billed Vulture

    The Indian Vulture, Gyps indicus, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kite s, buzzards and hawks....
     Gyps indicus
  • Slender-billed Vulture
    Slender-billed Vulture

    The Slender-billed Vulture is a recently recognized species of Old World vulture. For some time, it was lumped with its relative the Indian Vulture under the name of "Long-billed Vulture"....
     Gyps tenuirostris
  • Himalayan Griffon Vulture
    Himalayan Griffon Vulture

    The Himalayan Griffon Vulture is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kite s, buzzards and hawks....
     Gyps himalayensis
  • White-backed Vulture
    White-backed Vulture

    The White-backed Vulture, Gyps africanus, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kite s, buzzards and hawks....
    , Gyps africanus
  • Cape Griffon, Gyps coprotheres
Genus Necrosyrtes
  • Hooded Vulture
    Hooded Vulture

    The Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus, is an Old World vulture in the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kite s, buzzards and hawks....
    , Necrosyrtes monachus
Genus Neophron
  • Egyptian Vulture
    Egyptian Vulture

    The Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture, found from southwestern Europe and northern Africa to southern Asia. It is the only living member of the genus Neophron....
    , Neophron percnopterus
Genus Sarcogyps
  • Red-headed Vulture
    Red-headed Vulture

    The Red-headed Vulture , also known as the Asian King Vulture, Indian Black Vulture or Pondicherry Vulture, is a species of Old World vulture found in South Asia....
    , Sarcogyps calvus
Genus Torgos
  • Lappet-faced Vulture
    Lappet-faced Vulture

    The Lappet-faced Vulture or Nubian Vulture is a mostly African Old World vulture belonging to the bird order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kite s, buzzards and hawks....
    , Torgos tracheliotus
Genus Trigonoceps
  • White-headed Vulture
    White-headed Vulture

    The White-headed Vulture is an Old World vulture endemic to Africa. It has a pink beak, a white crest on its head and the featherless areas on its head are pale....
    , Trigonoceps occipitalis