vulture (vultur)

[ Brown Vulture ( Vultur monachus). thers, the beak and claws le powerful than in most birds of prey, and which feed largely or wholly upon carrion. They for the most part inhabit warm countries. Birds of this description are found both in the Old World and in the New; and, misled by superfi cial appearances and general habits, naturalists have applied the name to members of different suborders. (a) The Old World vultures, which, in spite of their peculiar out ward aspect, so little different from ordinary hawks eagles that they can at most be considered as a subfamily Vulturinæ of the family Falconidæ. Of these there are several genera and numerous species, inhabiting the warmer parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, where they act as efficient scavengers to clear the earth of offal and carca es, which would otherwise become offensive. The cinereous or brown vulture, Vultur monachus or V. cinereus, is a typical example; it inhabits all countries bordering the Mediterranean, and extends thence to India and China. The griffin-vultures are species of Gyps. The Bengal vulture, inhabiting India, is Pseudo gyps benga lens is. Related spe cies are the Angola vulture, Gypohierax an go lens is (see cut under Gypohicrax ), the immense Otogyps auricular is, of Africa (see Otogyps ), and Lophogyps occipital is. The Egyptian vulture, quite unlike any of the foregoing, is Neo phron percnopterus, often called Pharaoh's hen (see cut under Neophron ). The bearded vulture of the Alps, etc., or the lammergeier, Gypaetus barbatus, has the head feathered, and does not hesitate to attack living animals; this is the connecting-link between vultures and hawks or eagles, being sometimes placed in Vulturinæ, sometimes in Falcon inæ. (See cut under Gypaëtus.) (b) The American vultures of the suborder Cat hart ides. The species of this group with which the name vulture is specifically connected are the urubu, or black vulture, Catharista atrata; the turkey-buzzard or turkey-vulture, Cathartes aura; and the king-vulture, Sarcorhamphus papa: the condor usually keeps its own distinctive name. See Cathartidæ, and cuts under condor, king - vulture, turkey - buzzard, and urubu. Whos stomak fowles tyren everemo, That hyghten volturis , as hookes telle. Chaucer, Troilus, i. 788. Aby in i an vulture, the Lophogyps occipital is, in which the head is not bare, the bill is red, with black tip and blue base, the feet are flesh-color, the eyes brown, and the length is nearly 3 feet. It inhabits much of Africa, and was first described by Latham in 1821. - Arabian vulture, the brown or cinereous vulture, Vultur monachus. Latham, 1781.- Ash-colored vulture, the Egyptian vulture. Latham, 1781. - Bearded vulture. See def. 1 (α). -Bengal vulture. See def. 1 (a). Latham, 1781.Black vulture. (a) See def. 1 (b). (b) The Vultur monachus. Latham, 1781.- Brown vulture. See def. 1 (a). - Californian vulture, the Californian condor. See cut under condor. - Changoun vulture, the Bengal vulture: so called by Latham, 1801, after le changoun of LevailCrane-vulture. See secretary - bird. - Crested or coped black vulture, the brown or cinereous vulture, Vultur monachus. Edwards, 1760. — Eagle-vulture, the West African Gypohierax an go lens is. Also called vulturine sea-eagle. See cut under Gypohierax. - Eared vulture, a vulture of the genus Otogyps, specifically O. auricula ris. - Egyptian vulture. See def. 1 ( a ). - Fulvous vulture, one of the griffin-vultures, Gyps fulvus. Latham, 1781.-Gingi vulture, Neophron ging i an us, the Indian representative of the Egyptian vulture. Latham, 1787 and 1821.-Indian vulture, one of the griffin-vultures, Gyps indicus, of the Indian and Malayan peninsulas, Burma, and Siam. King of the vultures, the king-vulture. See def. 1 (b). Edwards, 1743. - Maltese vulture, the Egyptian vulture. Latham, 1781.- Nubian vulture, one of the eared vultures, Otogyps auricular is. - Pileated vulture, Neophron pileatus, the South African representative of the Egyptian vulture, first described as Vultur pileatus by Burchell in 1824. - Pond i cherry_vulture, one of the eared vultures, Otogyps calvus. - Rachamah vulture, the Egyptian vulture. Bruce, 1790. - Rüppell's vulture, one of the griffin-vultures, Gyps rueppelli. - Sacred vulture, a bird described by William Bartram in 1791, under the name of Vultur sacra, as inhabiting Florida. It has not been identified, but is supposed to be the king-vulture, Sarcorhamphus papa. The vulturet, the fulvous vulture, Gyps fulvus. Albin, 1740.- Turkey-vulture. See turkey - buzzard, and cut under Cathartes. - White vulture, the Egyptian vulture. vulture-raven (vultur-rā"vn), n. A book name of the thick-billed African ravens, of the genus Corvultur, C. albicollis and C. cra irostris. They are noted for the stoutne and especially the depth of the bill, resulting from the strong convexity of the high arched culmen, like that of a bird of prey. C. albicollis is 18 inches long, with the bill 3 inches along the culmen; the plumage is glo y black, with concealed white on the neck; the beak is dark-brown, with the tips of the mandibles whitish; the feet are brownish black, the irides Head of Vulture-raven ( Corvultur albicollis), reduced. hazel-brown. This species is South African. C. cra iros tris, of northeastern Africa, is larger, being 2 feet long, with the beak nearly 4 inches. The former species was originally described by Latham as the South Sea raven, and later by Levaillant as the corbivau (whence the generic name Corvultur imposed by Le on in 1831); another synonym is Corvus vulturinus.