I want to know which animals feed on vultures. If this predation occurs on nests, fledgelings or adults. And if you have the citation of the source, or if its based on your own experience I would like to hear a description.
According to Wikipedia, “Predation of black vultures is relatively unlikely, though eggs and nestlings are readily eaten if found by mammalian predators such as raccoons, coatis and foxes. Due to its aggressiveness and size, few predators can threaten the fully-grown vulture. However, various eagles may kill vultures in conflicts and even the ornate hawk-eagle, a slightly smaller bird than the vulture, have preyed on adult black vultures.” The source of this information is given as Ferguson-Lees & Christie (2001. Raptors of the World. Christopher Helm, London). I only possess the 2007 reprint of the 2005 edition of this book, which is an identification guide with ZERO information on natural history, so I cannot check whether the above reference is correct. The Maryland Zoo’s homepage (http://www.marylandzoo.org/animals-conservation/birds/black-vulture-2/) states that “Fledglings and juvenile black vultures are vulnerable to predation by a number of animals, including dogs and cats” but I have not been able to find any published evidence backing this allegation.
Thanks for the answers yea, its seems information is scarce in that issue.
Alberto we have found predation on nests, I attached a short communication in Raptor Research.
Alberto, if you can get ahold of her, you should talk to Dr. Sheila Gaby, she is a vulture specialist with some experience with black vultures. Her and her husband historically ran a consulting outfit out of South Florida (Miami) years ago. I do not know if it still exists, but if you search for Gaby & Gaby, Inc., you might turn it up. Best, Marc
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