Black Vulture

Who's the most beautiful scavenging raptor in New Jersey? It's hard to say, but Black Vultures are certainly in the top 2 [1] [2], up there with our Turkey Vultures. Other than a little obstruction from branches, this fella took a pretty nice-looking picture.

As related species with similar appetites, it's expected that Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures will show up at the same carcass. I've heard somewhat different things about the carcass pecking order:

  1. Black Vultures are more aggressive and will dominate the carcass.
  2. Turkey Vultures, who are slightly larger, will dominate the carcass unless the Black Vultures outnumber them.
Unfortunately I haven't seen enough carcasses to give you a personal opinion on carcass pecking order (though I suspect if a Bald Eagle flew in, it would get more than its fair share [3] [4]).

February 8, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 263480504, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] New Jersey has only 2 vulture species, the Black Vulture and the Turkey Vulture. And while California has its condors, NJ sadly lacks a species of condor.

[2] For the purposes of this discussion I'm not considering the eagles and hawks who are raptors that will scavenge when they get an opportunity, or the crows and ravens that aren't considered raptors. I'm just talking about the raptors who "make a living" scavenging.

[3] Bald Eagles are at least twice the size of either of our vultures, and eagle talons are much more dangerous than vulture talons.

[4] AFAIK Bald Eagles don't have the acidic stomachs needed to handle the bacteria from a seriously decomposing carcass. I suspect that eagles will scavenge fresher carcasses while leaving the older 1s for the vultures.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tussock Moth Herd

Image
Some caterpillars are usually seen in large numbers (like Armyworm Moth caterpillars and Eastern Tent Caterpillars ), while most are more solitary. The Milkweed Tussock Moth caterpillars (more about them are here ) seem to be slightly social. I'll sometimes see them alone, but more often I'll see them in groups of 2-9 members. In the 1st picture below, you can see there is a clear size difference in some of these individuals. I'm almost certain the little one in the middle is in an earlier instar than the others (though they lack the colorful tufts of fuzz in their earliest instars). August 31, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167477945, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC) In the picture below, it's clear that these caterpillars don't require a lot of personal space. August 31, 2021 at Washington Valley Park Photo 167477979, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Read more

Copper Underwing Caterpillar

Image
I believe this caterpillar to be a Copper Underwing [1]. At least the coloring and the dorsal hump (near the left end of the caterpillar) seem consistent with the Copper Underwing. These caterpillars are not what you'd consider picky eaters; my Caterpillars of Eastern North America describes their diet thusly: Many wooded plants including apple, basswood, blueberry, cherry chestnut, current, grape, greenbrier, hawthorn, hickory, lilac, maple, oak, poplar, raspberry, rhododendron, viburnum, Virginia creeper, and walnut. Wikipedia adds: Ash, privet, honeysuckle, rose, and service trees. That's a pretty wide range of trees and shrubs. One of the challenges of finding them is that they could be almost anywhere; the other challenges are: Their green coloring blends in pretty darned well with the average leaf. They have a habit of feeding underneath leaves, so they're probably not visible when looking down at their location. They have a tendency to move from leaf-to-leaf; if you
Read more

Eastern Pondhawks

Image
I'm going to try something different today with my Eastern Pondhawk pictures. I'm going to let ChatGPT do my blog today. (ChatGPT is an AI program that you can converse with in a pretty human way; an explanation of it is here .) Me:  Can you tell me something interesting about the Eastern Pondhawk? ChatGPT:  The Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis) is a dragonfly species that is native to North America. It is a medium-sized dragonfly, with a wingspan of about 3 inches, and can be found in a variety of habitats, including wetlands, marshes, and ponds. One interesting characteristic of the Eastern Pondhawk is its mating behavior. Male Eastern Pondhawks are known for their territorial behavior and will defend their territory from other males. They will patrol their territory and will try to mate with any females that fly into their territory. Another interesting fact about the Eastern Pondhawk is that it is a fast flyer and is able to hover in midair. It is also an import
Read more