Gatorland is the year-round home to a large colony of Black Vultures; they can be seen throughout the park perched in the tops of trees, fence posts, and roofs, as well as soaring high in the sky over the surrounding area. The Black Vulture is a big, heavy-bodied, black bird, with a large wingspan and bald head, commonly referred to in Florida as a “Buzzard”. These birds are nature’s garbage disposal, feeding primarily on dead animals, although they have been known to prey on weak or injured small mammals, as well as unprotected baby birds. Originally classified as a Bird of Prey, recent studies and DNA testing have led to the Black Vulture being re-classified as a member of the Stork family.

Vultures are especially adapted to eating carrion, with extremely powerful stomach acids that allow it to eat even rotting or diseased flesh. The bird’s bald head enables it to stick its head into the carcass without getting its feathers “dirty”.

Unlike other birds that nest in the trees and bushes, Black Vultures lay their eggs on the ground, as well as in hollow logs, caves, or rocky ledges.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008 at 1:17 am and is filed under The Birds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.