Do Vultures Eat Vultures?

[Bobcat]

I lunch at the RGV.

[RichardM]

http://vulturesociety.homestead.com/QandA.html[/url]"]Turkey vultures, contrary to popular assumption, do not eat absolutely anything placed in front of them.  Predatory animals (and scavengers as well) typically feed on herbivorous animals.  The flesh of an herbivore is much tastier.  
          In short, turkey vultures will often bypass carcasses of cats, dogs, and coyotes.  They will, however, eat such carcasses in the absence of more desirable food.

Therefore, since vultures are not herbivores, they'll only eat a dead vulture if they're really hungry.

[Windchime]

Amen, Richard. I have never seen a vulture feeding on a dead vulture...a dead vulture will lie on the side of the road for days until it disintegrates. Of course, there is enough road kill out here in the mornings from the night before that our vultures are usually well fed by noon each day. We really miss them in the winter....the road kill goes to waste. Of some interest, our vulture population migrates south in the winter while other populations, such as at Amistad, stay around during the winter. Our Bird Ranger believes it is a sub-group of sorts....when the first winter front moves in and they are winging it south. :?

[Undertaker]

Can't blame a vulture for not eating another, nasty bird, but serves a useful purpose in nature. 12 more hours till on way to heaven, BB, can't wait!! Undertaker

[RichardM]

Some good vulture info on the BIBE site:
http://www.nps.gov/bibe/naturescience/vultures.htm

[tjavery]

I had a high school teacher once that said he was a sniper in Vietnam (i.e. he was schooled in all sorts of survival stuff). He told us that you can eat any type of meat as long as it met three criteria: 1) it was very well cooked, 2) it was at least somewhat fresh prior to cooking, and 3) it wasn't a vulture.