Vulture

Vulture: Nature's Ghastly Gourmet by Wayne Grady

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


"From the bald, scarlet-headed turkey vulture to the violently colored king vulture -- with its red-rimmed eyes, purple wattles and orange beak -- to the giant California condor, vultures have been reviled as hideous scavengers that feed greedily on rotting carcases. But vultures are magnificent birds in their own right and perform an important service by cleaning up the environment and preventing the spread of disease. Combining a fascinating and authoritative text with dramatic, full-color phographs and elgant line drawings, Vulture explores the myth and the reality of this much maligned bird.

"Although veteran science write Wayne Grady includes a discussion of the Old World vultures, Vulture focuses on the seven species of New World vultures, describing their mating, breeding and feeding habits as well as their bad breath and untidy nests. Some vultures rely on their exceptionally keen eyesight, whereas others have a highly developed sense of smell. All vultures ride the thermals more efficiently than any other bird, gliding for miles without expending a single calorie of energy.

"Grady also explores the relationship between vultures and human beings. California condors were the origin of the Thunderbird myth, and the Egyptian vulture was declared sacred by the Pharoahs. In Sky Burials in India and Tibet, the dead are left on the famed Towers of Silence to be eaten by hordes of vultures. The book ends with the story of the California condor, which has been rescued from the brink of extinction by a dedicated team of scientists and conservationists.

"Throughout the book, spectacular photographs capture the birds as they soar above the grasslands of Africa, perch atop a cactus in Mexico, or dry their feathers in the morning sun in Texas. Enchanting line drawings illuminate the mythological and deliciously macabre side of the vulture. Together, text and images present a vivid portrait of the vulture in all its ghoulish glory."
~~front flap

Not much left to say, after that introduction, is there?