Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird

By Katie Fallon

Turkey vultures, the most widely distributed and abundant scavenging birds of prey on the planet, are found from central Canada to the southern tip of Argentina, and nearly everywhere in between. In the United States we sometimes call them buzzards; in parts of Mexico the name is aura cabecirroja, in Uruguay jote cabeza colorada, and in Ecuador gallinazo aura. A huge bird, the turkey vulture is a familiar sight from culture to culture, in both hemispheres. But despite being ubiquitous and recognizable, the turkey vulture has never had a book of literary nonfiction devoted to it—until Vulture. Floating on six-foot wings, turkey vultures use their keen senses of smell and sight to locate carrion. Unlike their cousin the black vulture, turkey vultures do not kill weak or dying animals; instead, they cleanse, purify, and renew the environment by clearing it of decaying carcasses, thus slowing the spread of such dangerous pathogens as anthrax, rabies, and botulism. The beauty, grace, and important role of these birds in the ecosystem notwithstanding, turkey vultures are maligned and underappreciated; they have been accused of spreading disease and killing livestock, neither of which has ever been substantiated. Although turkey vultures are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which makes harming them a federal offense, the birds still face persecution. They’ve been killed because of their looks, their odor, and their presence in proximity to humans. Even the federal government occasionally sanctions “roost dispersals,” which involve the harassment and sometimes the murder of communally roosting vultures during the cold winter months. Vulture follows a year in the life of a typical North American turkey vulture. By incorporating information from scientific papers and articles, as well as interviews with world-renowned raptor and vulture experts, author Katie Fallon examines all aspects of the bird’s natural history: breeding, incubating eggs, raising chicks, migrating, and roosting. After reading this book you will never look at a vulture in the same way again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ForeEdge
• Release date: Mar 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9781512600308

Reviews for Vulture

[pondelro · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have read many books about various animals and birds, but I never really gave the vulture a second thought. That was my mistake. This is a well written and fascinating look into the world of vultures. I now have a deep respect for these birds and am grateful for Katie Fallon's book. Highly recommended.

[bks1953 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

About a year ago or so, I discovered the Safari Live channel on YouTube; for three hours at sunrise and again at sunset, three guides (two on vehicle, one on foot) take viewers through the Djuma Private Game Reserve of Kruger National Park, the South African bush country. While the guides naturally tend to focus on the wildlife that people want to see (the big cats, elephants, hippos, antelope, etc.), there will be the occasional views of vultures at a carcass: "the clean-up crew," more than one guide has said, "nothing goes to waste here in the bush." Being the custodian is apparently as low-prestige in the wild as it in among us "civilized" humans in cities and towns. It is truly sad that such a vital and necessary function of life and death is so derided and ignored. Katie Fallon, co-founder of the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, feels the same way; hence her book, "Vulture: The Private Life of an Unloved Bird." Her small book (a little over 200 pages) introduces the reader to the individuals and groups who have dedicated their professional lives and resources to the preservation, protection, and defense of the various species of vultures (more familiarly known as buzzards in parts of the US). Ms. Fallon writes with a quiet passion. She imparts much information about the various vulture species, but in a down-to-earth fashion, no overloading the reader with professional jargon. In relating her own research, for example, Ms. Fallon parallels her pregnancy with that of the recently-hatched vultures she's studying (and attempting to tag). Her love of these funky birds is not only apparent, but also infectious. Read this book, and you will have a new appreciation (if not affection) for these indispensable birds.

[encephalical · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Of the school of narrative nonfiction where there are more details about what the author is drinking, doing with their hair, wearing that day, day dream about, etc., than on the nominal subject. Sometimes that works.

[nmele_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My wife reacted the way most people would when I told her I was reading a book about turkey vultures: Why? Some reasons: turkey vultures--all vultures--are an effective disease control asset for humans, livestock and wild animals; vultures have an undeserved bad reputation; vultures look beautiful in flight; and not much is known about these important and widespread birds. Katie Fallon seems to be in love with turkey vultures, which means sometimes she edges toward mania (an "I heart vultures" onesie for a newborn), but she also knows these birds and knows the scientists and amateurs who study them. This is an engaging and informative book with suggestions for action included.

[kesterbird · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This isn't so much a book as it is a loose conglomeration of marginally organized facebook rants. I got it as part of librarything's early review program- if I had just picked it up, I woulda given up during the part where the author, who has no understanding of archeology, tried to justify a theory that human culture wouldn't exist were it not for vultures. As is, I pushed through that, and it DID get slightly better, btu then things would go downhill for long segments. I picked the book up because I LIKE vultures, and I wanted to learn something about them. I did lear n a few things, but mostly I got scolded for not liking vultures. There's a lot of scolding in here. There's a long scene in which the author is driving along a road next to a windfarm, and she sets her cruise control so that she can give all her attention to watching raptors not get hit by turbine blades. She describes herself shreiking aloud in her empty car when there are near misses. She does not describe the near misses that no doubt occurred between her car and various woodchucks/squirrels/etc, because she didn't notice those- she was busy watching the vultures. She also doesn't bother mentioning the statistics for how many vultures are hit by cars while dining on roadkill. That passage stuck in my mind most, but there's a lot of that sort of thing- very focused rants that last far too long and which are clearly responses to -something- but the something wasn't printed in the book. The strongest parts of the book are when she introducing various scientists and their work- these people are enthusiastic, our author is enthusiastic, and while we are being told about the science, we get to actually learn things about the vultures that this book purports to be about.

[9cee9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Any book that informs me about nature, especially wild animals, gets a thumbs up from me. I've been neutral about turkey vultures for years, but am now embracing the positivity and value that these birds bring to our lives. Nicely written with a personal touch. Raising our consciousness about our natural world is so important. There are practical suggestions in the back of the book for getting involved at many levels. Just learning about and appreciating vultures is a big step towards reducing negative public perceptions.

[diylibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book. Soaring vultures always catch my eye, and until I read this, when I recognized the birds, I always thought to myself, disappointed, "Oh, they're just vultures." Now that I understand more about these birds, their importance, and the threats they face, I will freely admire their soaring flight.

[bradswanson · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed almost every aspect of this treatise on vultures. Personally, I never understood the animosity shown by many to these birds. They are a major player in keeping down all the things which which people associate these birds (disease, pestilence, etc). Fallon does a good job of describing the biology of the birds, their personalities, and their role in society. While it doesn't quite rise to a "Ravens in Winter" quality, it is a solid book for anyone wanting to know about this undeservedly unloved bird. The only part I found a bit hokey was the prefaces to each chapter. They didn't fit the book to me and felt like someone who couldn't get a novella published found a way to sneak one in to another book.