Vultures are mostly known to be scavengers
They eat dead animals
And by that I mean rotting carcasses
But do vultures have predators?
The answer to this is
Yes they do have predators
These predators include
- Hawks
- Snakes
- Wild cats
These predators don’t attack adult vultures
They tend to steal and eat baby vultures from their nest
So adult vultures have got pretty much nothing to fear from predators
But here’s the interesting thing
Not only animals are predators to vultures
But humans are also a threat to vultures
You can say they are their predators too because humans do carry out illegal hunting of vultures unfortunately
Vultures don’t pose any risk at all to us humans, rather they help clean up the environment
How?
Their scavenging ways help prevent the spread of diseases such as rabies and tuberclusosis
So it is sad that humans kill vultures
Do Hawks Eat Vultures?
Yes hawks do eat vultures
But not the adult vultures
Rather, they prey on baby vultures and may steal them from their nest
They wouldn’t attack or eat an adult vulture
You see vultures are large birds with powerful beaks
So it wouldn’t make sense for a hawk to attack or prey on a large vulture
I actually have written an article about the difference between a hawk and a vulture which you can check out
What Are Vultures Afraid Of?
Vultures are not scared of anything because they are not a prey to predators
Because they are scavengers they don’t cause any problems to anyone because they dead animals
But they are scared of 2 birds
Those 2 birds are a hawk and owl
Do Vultures Get Eaten By Other Animals?
Vultures will get eaten by animals but not when they are alive
As mentioned earlier, since they don’t have any predators, no animal will attack them
But if they are found dead and say a lion comes across a dead vulture, it will eat it because it’s meat
Is a Vulture a Predator Or a Prey?
Vultures are not predators
They are a bird of prey
Why?
Because they don’t kill live animals
They eat dead animals
This means they are not hunters but scavengers
You see, vultures have a powerful beak that helps them rip open skin
But then they have weak legs and blunt talons which are more useful for a vulture to walk over dead bodies instead of attacking an animal
Whereas an owl for example have sharp talons
This is why vultures won’t take on a live prey which shows they are not predators
Here’s an interesting thing though
The black vulture can be known as a predator because they usually feed on livestock such as a deer
It is the only species of new world vulture which preys on cattle
These black vultures occasionally harass cows that are giving birth
You see they prey on their new born babies (calves)
Another thing to mention is vultures will also attack weak and sick animals that are pretty much in their final moments
Overall vultures are not predators except for the new world species as they attack live prey
Here’s some related articles which you will find interesting about vultures so do check them out
Do vultures eat dead vultures?
Do Vultures Eat Live Prey?
Vultures don’t live prey
They will only eat dead animals
Vultures are scavengers so they won’t hunt and kill an animal
Except for very weak and sick animals, they may attack it
Black vultures kill live prey more frequently
Here’s an related article you may be interested in where I go into more detail about vultures and if they eat live animals
Do Vultures Hunt?
Vultures don’t hunt
They scavenge for their food
So they look for dead carcasses to eat
They don’t have the ability and the tools as other bird predators to hunt or kill an animal
Where Do Vultures Live?
Did you know there are 23 different vulture species altogether
So where do they live?
That depends because these 23 vulture species are categorized based on whether they are a new world vulture species or an old world vulture species
New world vultures are typically found across the Americas and Caribbean
Old world vultures are found in Africa, Asia and Europe
Wrapping Up
Vultures don’t have any predators so they have nothing to worry about being attacked (lucky birds)
They are not predators too because they don’t hunt for their prey
They scavenge for food and eat dead rotting animals although they do attack very weak and sick baby animals that are pretty much going to die
However New world vultures such as a black vulture will hunt and kill small animals such as a calve or a deer
Related articles
Why do vultures spread their wings?
Why are vultures hanging around my house?
