Black Vulture Animal Symbolism

This week, Dave and I were out for a drive, and Dave spotted a black vulture on a bridge. He doubled back, slowed down, and stopped beside it so I could snap some photos with my phone. I wish I’d had my better camera, because the photo above would be even more impressive. Still, how often do you get this close to a black vulture?! Obviously, this bird and its companion in a nearby tree had some messages for us.

First, let’s learn a bit about black vultures and then look for the symbolism and messages they can share.

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Fun Facts About Black Vultures

Black vultures are big black birds and are considered New World Vultures vs. Old World Vultures. They live in warm and temperate climates. In flight black vultures have blunt tails and bald heads. Their bald heads keep pieces of carrion (dead meat) from getting stuck around their face and growing bacteria or disease. Black vultures and turkey vultures look similar, but black vultures have a gray/black head whereas turkey vultures have red heads. Turkey vultures also have a diagonal white section on the lower part of one wing (see photo).

Black vultures are slightly bigger than a red-tailed hawk and have a wingspan of 4 ½ to 5 feet. They live between 10 to 25.5 years. Once they become adults, they have no natural predators. This is probably why the one we saw on the bridge didn’t concern itself with us pausing to photograph it. It wasn’t worried. It’s at the top of the food chain. Even humans have no need to kill a vulture. In fact, hunting or owning a black vulture in the U.S. is punishable by a $15,000 fine.

Black vultures don’t have very strong talons. They really don’t tear the meat with their blunt talons. They tear it with their hooked beak.

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These birds are the strong silent type. They have no syrinx in their vocal organ so all they can do is grunt and make low hiss noises.

Black vultures hunt by site. Turkey vultures hunt by scent. For this reason, turkey vultures are usually the first on the scene. Black vultures often hover above turkey vultures, watching where they go. Then, they drive away the turkey vultures to take what the turkey vultures found by scent.

Vultures don’t kill anything, but they do prefer fresher meat. They circle, waiting for animals to die. They won’t eat any old dead, rotting thing. Turkey vultures, in particular, can smell meat that is only 12-24 hours old. If it’s too old, they won’t go for it.

Vultures – The Cleanup Committee

Most people think of vultures as gross because of their diet, but they help clean up our environment by eating dead animals before they rot and cause disease. They are nature’s cleaning crew, and since they eat meat when it’s freshly dead, they really aren’t eating anything that is full of bacteria and disease.

Interestingly, their fecal matter is free of bacteria, viruses and fungi because of their strong stomach acids. Their droppings are acidic. So even that’s clean.

The Vulture Community

Black vultures are highly social. They share food with their relatives. On average, they lay two eggs at a time and keep feeding their young for months after they have launched from the nest. Black vultures tend nest in large “committees” in secluded woods.

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Funny enough, when a bunch of vultures are feeding on carrion together, they’re called a “wake.” So, when an animal dies, nature sends in the cleanup committee to have a wake for the deceased!

I read this fun fact about Black Vulture’s nesting habits:

“Black Vultures are monogamous; they mate with the same bird for many years. The eggs are laid on the ground, a hollow trunk, or some other cavity almost below 10 ft height in woody areas. The Black Vulture does not use any nesting materials to build a nest but decorates the area they lay eggs with bits of bright plastic caps, glass pieces, or metal items.”

Amaze-Wing Facts About the Black Vulture That Kids Will Love

My first thought was, “What did black vultures make their nests from before people made plastic and glass?” I guess that leaves metal. Not only are they the cleanup committee for dead animals, but they’re cleaning up our plastic and glass messes!

There are about 20 million black vultures in the world. 9% of them live in the US and about 8% in Mexico. They live from North America down through southern South America. They rarely live on mountains, but stay in the lowlands.

What Black Vultures Symbolize and Can Teach Us

• Clean up your environment! Get rid of micro trash and don’t be a litter bug. Repurpose and reuse things! Waste not, want not.
• Black Vultures also symbolize healing because without them, we’d have a world full of pathogens and disease from all the rotting animals.
• Black vultures represent family connections and sharing. You usually see them eating together and sharing food with their relatives and the rest of their “committee.”
• Develop your observational and awareness skills. Vultures have keen eyesight and turkey vultures have an incredible ability to smell. Interestingly, when Dave spotted this vulture, I had my nose in my phone and didn’t see it. The vulture showed up to tell me to LOOK UP and be observant and aware of my surroundings. Thankfully, Dave was alert and aware so I could benefit from its message!
• Fly high and sun bathe! Vultures spread their wings and fly in the sunlight to use the UV rays to cleanse their wings.
• Be fearless. Vultures are at the top of the food chain, and they know it. They aren’t scared of much and you shouldn’t be either! As humans, we really are at the top of the food chain! God created us to “have dominion” and be stewards of the earth. Even though vultures may be considered gross or scary by some, they really do model what it means to be good stewards of the earth and take care of it. They show us how to soar through life, bask in the sun, and own our gifts.
• Be patient and wait for God’s timing. Vultures don’t swoop in and kill things. They wait patiently, circling for the animal to die on its own. They wait for God’s timing to play out.
• Obviously, vultures have a death symbolism, but they also represent rebirth, renewal, loyalty, cleanliness, adaptability and community.

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