I’m usually here on Chapelboro talking about native plants or safety tips, but this column’s all about changing the way we look at vultures — especially since this Saturday, September 6 is International Vulture Awareness Day!
A lot of folks are turned off by these prehistoric avians and depictions of them in popular culture don’t do much to change those feelings. Neither does the negative connotation around the term “vulture” itself. But it hasn’t always been that way. The origin of their scientific family name, Cathartidae, is from the Greek word for “purifier”—a much more positive association.
Here in Orange County, we have two species, the black vulture (Coragyps aratus) and the red-headed turkey vulture (Cathartes aura). I know in some places, they’ve got a reputation as nuisance birds, but that’s mostly because of decisions we humans make around garbage disposal. Mostly, vultures are helpers. I’ll get to that in a minute…
My life with vultures
Vultures have been a part of my life all my life. Growing up out in the country past University Lake, we’d frequently see a wake of vultures along the side of the road, in a pasture and sometimes even in the woods, quietly picking away at something. (Vultures don’t sing like other birds, but they will hiss when annoyed.) It’s not unusual to see both species hanging out together…