Snow vulture - scavenger of high mountains

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:53

The snow vulture is one of the largest birds of prey in Asia. It lives high in the mountains and is rarely seen. The bird has many names and is found under them in the mythological tales of some peoples. What does a snow vulture look like? What kind of lifestyle does he lead?

A bird from the vulture family

All vultures, or vultures, are large birds of prey and belong to the hawk family. They prefer warm climates and feed mainly on carrion. They are divided into two large groups - birds of the New and Old Worlds, which are not too close genetically and have different habits, although they may be similar in appearance.

Snow vulture is also called Himalayan. In Central Asia, it is also called kumai, and in Tibet, akkaldzhir. It belongs to the birds of the Old World and is very similar in appearance to the griffon vulture that lives in Europe. The snow vulture is distinguished by a lighter color and the presence of feathers on a white collar around the neck, because the collar of the vulture consists only of fluff. In the past, birds were considered subspecies of the same species, but today they are considered different species.

Where does the snow vulture live?

This bird of prey prefers high altitudes and climbs far into the mountains. It lives on the ridges of the Himalayas and Central Asia, as well as the plateaus adjacent to them. There is a snow vulture in the Tien Shan in the region of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, inhabits the Pamir mountains, the Tibetan plateau in China, the mountains of Mongolia, the Sayan, Dzhungar and Zailiyskiy Alatau ranges.

Its habitual range in the west is limited by the peaks of Afghanistan, in the east by the mountains of Bhutan. However, some vultures have been sighted in Singapore, Cambodia, Burma, Bhutan, Thailand and Afghanistan.

The bird lives at altitudes of 1200-5000 meters above the forest line. She settles in rock ledges, mountain niches close to cliffs, building a nest from branches and grass.

Appearance

The snow vulture has a long neck, a large body and a powerful beak slightly curved down. It is one of the largest and heaviest birds in the Himalayas and throughout Asia. In height, it reaches 1.5 meters and weighs from 6 to 12 kilograms. The maximum wingspan of a bird is 3 meters.

The head and neck of the neck are covered with a short soft down of white color. Around the neck is a collar of long brownish or red feathers. On the body, the plumage has a heterogeneous beige-brown color: it is lighter above, darker below. The legs of the bird are gray and the long claws are black. The color of the chicks is slightly darker than adults. Their neck and head are covered in beige down, and their body is characterized by dark brown hues.

Vultures are strong andstrong beak, but rather weak legs, which is associated with the way of feeding. Birds are scavengers and do not hunt for prey, so they do not need powerful legs to grab and carry large animals. This significantly distinguishes them from kites, eagles and many other representatives of hawks.

Food

Snow vultures are vultures, so their main diet is dead animals. Birds eat a lot. Their goiter and stomach are designed for large volumes and allow you to eat even a large ungulate. A dead yak can be eaten by two or three kumai in just a couple of hours.

Vulture wings are not designed for long and strenuous flights. They look out for their prey by soaring in the sky and picking up currents of rising air. They live at high altitudes, but they can descend into foothill valleys to search for food. Vultures vehemently guard their prey, not allowing anyone but “their own” to approach it until they are full. As a rule, other birds and many predators prefer not to mess with them and give in.

Eating dead flesh requires special anatomy and internal adaptations of the body. The gastric juice of snow vultures is highly acidic in order to better digest bones and tough tissues, and a special microflora helps to cope with cadaveric bacteria. Short fluff on the head and neck of birds allows them to be less dirty with pus and blood. To decontaminate their plumage, vultures often sunbathe by spreading their wings and ruffling.

Role in nature andstatus

The way vultures feed is quite exotic and even unpleasant. However, kumai are very important to the ecosystem and take on the role of orderlies. By eating corpses, they prevent the spread of harmful microorganisms that appear as a result of decay.

Today the birds are considered rare and are approaching the status of vulnerable. The main limiting factors for them are poaching and poisoning. Despite the fact that their stomach easily copes with cadaveric toxins, animals do not tolerate antibiotics and drugs that are contained in the bones and meat of some livestock. This was associated with the mass death of a related species of Indian vultures, which turned from the most common birds into rare ones.

Lifestyle

Kumai is a sedentary diurnal bird that prefers an isolated lifestyle. It does not fly to other regions of the Earth, but in winter it can descend slightly lower than in summer and spring.

Snow vultures do not exhibit colonial behavior, but can live alongside other members of their species. From two to five pairs can live close to each other, which do not quarrel with each other and can eat together.

Vulture nests are built large and heavy, using them for several years. They build a dwelling in natural depressions of rocks at a height of 100-300 meters from the ground. Breeding of birds occurs already in January. After that, the couple has only one egg, greenish to a white dot, and after a month and a half, a baby hatches from it. incubation andBoth parents take turns caring for their offspring. The chicks grow quickly, and after a couple of months after birth, they become completely independent.