Vultures

      I have a thing for birds, specifically the ugly ones. Ravens are by far my favorites. One ugly bird that i have never taken a liking to is the vulture. Their bald heads, crooked necks, plus the fact that they eat road kill makes me wrinkle my nose in disgust. The other day, though, I was running on a bike trail when i came across an old lady. She was standing quite still and staring at some telephone lines over yonder. Having just attended cpr class, I stopped to make sure this wasn't a stroke or something when she put out her hand and touched my arm. She pointed to the top of one of the telephone poles, "See those two birds up there? Those are vultures. They're partners...always up there, makin' love." She then winked at me and gave me a big smile. I watched the black silhouettes for a while and she went on,  "I think they may be the ugliest bird in the world, but I sure do like to come out here and watch those two."
   Later I did a little homework. Vultures are incredible. I was a little nervous when I came across headings such as, "Why the Vulture Vomits." As it turns out, though, vultures are pretty cool creatures. For example, their heads are bald because if they stuck their head into some dead animals carcass and it actually had feathers, the rotting animal guts, etc would get stuck in the feathers. Therefore, they're designed to be relatively sanitary creatures. Also, although the thought of eating roadkill is revolting for most of us , vultures actually stop the spread of disease because they eat the dead, diseased meat on the side of the road. Actually, in places where the vulture population has decreased, disease has increased! What a wonderful design, a very important job for the vulture!
    One of my favorite literary references pertaining to vultures can be found in "Extracts from Adam's Diary," a short story by Mark Twain.  Basically, it's a fictional account of creation from Adam's point of view, giving his opinions on Eve, children, naming the animals, etc. It's hilarious and I suggest you read it, not as Biblical truth of course, but just for fun. Plus, it will make you think. [Side note: That's the wonderful thing about Mark Twain. You'll be laughing one moment and then in the next you'll feel as though he's punched you in the gut. Then you'll mumble to yourself..."oh, that's not really funny..."He can do this within a page!!!! ] Well, Adam is puzzled by Eve's care over the animals. At this point in the story she has not yet eaten from the tree of good and evil, but she seems very concerned over the vulture. It seems that his beak, head, entire design, was made to eat carrion, yet there was no death, no carrion for the vulture to eat. Eve is concerned that the vulture will starve.
   Although, Biblically, this is not true, it's interesting to think about. God is so creative in His designs, giving not only weird, creative looks, but also useful functions, even after something as unnatural as death entered the world! Bald heads for cleanliness...huh.

Vulture info found at ecolocalizer.com