Frankly, I had not planned much for posting on this day - things have been a little overwhelming at work of late, and I've not had much opportunity for giving though to my on-line social networks.
Nevertheless, International Vulture Awareness Day is something that I felt like I ought to at least mention, if for no other reason than to perhaps encourage at least one reader to look a little more deeply at the fact that several species of vultures worldwide are threatened with extinction. Here in the United States, our 'new world' vultures - the Turkey Vulture and the Black Vulture do seem to be doing quite well, although the California Condor is only hanging on through some excellent conservation efforts. The new world vultures are more closely related to storks, whereas the old world vultures are more closely related to Hawks, Kites and eagles. Their similarities are the result of convergent evolution. (For some interesting reading about new world vultures, check out this post by Birdchick.)
The old world vultures are what International vulture Awareness Day is really all about. They are faced with threats including "poisoning, persecution, electrocution on and collision with power lines, drowning in farm reservoirs, a shortage of safe food sources and loss of suitable habitat." This quote is from a Birdlife South Africa press release (read the PDF here), and discusses the SEVEN (out of 9) critically endangered vultures in South Africa alone. There are several more species throughout the world facing the same pressure and threats.
SO, get out there, do some research and reading, become more aware of the world around you - and especially the vultures of the world on this day. A few good places to start:
The International Vulture Awareness Day Blog Festival
(and check here for links to some of the blog posts)
The International Vulture Awareness Day flicker gallery for some great photos.
***A special mention here for Gwendolen Tee who has done an excellent job of promoting this day through social media like her blog and on Twitter.
(Oh, and because I really have a hard time putting up a post that is text only, here are a few images of our new world vultures that I've taken)
Black Vultures on an alligator carcass in Florida
Frolicking Turkey Vultures in Texas
