Lappet Faced Vulture
The Lappet-faced vulture is an Old World vulture that gets its name from the lappets (flat overlapping and hanging pieces)on its bare, pink head. Its feathers are mostly black and brown, but it has a white underbelly. With a wingspan of about 9 feet, it dominates other vultures when feeding.
Vultures are scavengers, meaning they eat animals that have died. Some vultures eat only large carcasses. However, the Lappet-faced vulture will also eat smaller items, including living prey. This gives them alternate food sources when carcasses are rare.
The Lappet-faced vulture is considered and Old World vulture because it comes from the "Old World", which includes Africa, Asia, and Europe. The New World vultures are found in North and South America, which is considered the "New World." The Lappet-faced vulture relies on sight alone to locate food, so heavily wooded areas pose a problem.
Taken at the Jacksonville Zoo. Jacksonville, FL
Uploaded on September 28, 2009