Scavenger Birds – 10 Birds That Eat Dead Animals

Have you ever seen a group of birds circling overhead and wondered what they were up to? Perhaps they were scavenger birds on the hunt for their next meal.

These feathered creatures have a unique role in the ecosystem, serving as nature’s clean-up crew by consuming dead animals that might otherwise go to waste.

And while they might not be the most glamorous birds out there, they certainly play an important role in keeping our environment clean and healthy. However, here are some of the birds that eat animals;

1. Pigeon guillemot
2. Accipitridae
3. Common raven
4. California condor
5. Egyptian vulture
6. Roadrunner
7. Great skua
8. European herring gull
9. Red kite
10. Lappet-faced vulture

Plus, I will discuss them, and you will learn about their feeding. So, let’s get to it.

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10. Pigeon guillemot

The pigeon guillemot is a type of bird that belongs to the Alcidae family of auks. It is the most closely related of the three species in the genus Cepphus, which also includes the spectacled guillemot.

The pigeon guillemot has five subspecies, and all of them are dark brown with a black iridescent sheen and a characteristic wing patch divided by a brown-black wedge when they are in breeding plumage.

It has mottled grey and black and white underparts in its non-breeding plumage while both the claws and the long bill are black.

The black guillemot, which is a little smaller and does not have the dark wing wedge that the pigeon guillemot has, is similar in appearance.

And during the mating season, the pigeon guillemot forages alone or in small groups within 1 km (0.6 mi) of the colony. Although preferring depths between 15 and 20 m, it forages in depths between 6 and 45 m (20 to 148 ft) (50 and 70 ft).

The dives can last anywhere between 10 and 144 seconds, with an average duration of 87 seconds and an interval between dives of about 98 seconds. When scavenging at the surface of the water for shoals of sand lance, divers usually dive for two to ten seconds.

Larger species are taken to the surface to be eaten after being captured, whereas smaller prey is likely digested underwater.

9. Accipitridae

One of the three families that make up the order Accipitriformes, the Accipitridae includes small to big birds of prey with highly hooked beaks and morphologies that change depending on nutrition.

They consume a variety of prey, including small and medium-sized animals, insects, and fruit. Some also eat carrion. Except for Antarctica, all of the world’s continents and several oceanic island groupings are home to the Accipitridae.

However, there are 70 genera and 255 species within the family. This category includes several well-known birds, such as hawks, eagles, kites, harriers, and Old World vultures.

The secretary bird (Sagittariidae), the osprey (Pandionidae), and the New World vultures are now generally regarded as belonging to a different family or order.

The analyzed Accipitridae is indeed a distinct monophyletic group, according to karyotype data. The majority of accipitrine species actively hunt for prey because they are primarily predators.

The raptor’s powerful talons are typically used to catch and kill prey which is then dragged off to be torn apart for consumption or feeding to nestlings. Most Accipitridae are opportunistic predators, taking any prey they can get their hands on.

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8. Common Raven

The common raven is a sizable passerine bird that is entirely black. Of all corvid species, it is the one that is most widespread in the Northern Hemisphere.

It is a raven that goes by several names at the subspecies level; there are at least eight subspecies with little change in appearance, yet a recent study has shown considerable genetic differences among populations from different places.

Together with the thick-billed raven, it is one of the two largest corvids and maybe the heaviest passerine bird; at maturity, the common raven is an average of 63 centimeters (25 inches) in length and 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds) in mass.

Common ravens can survive up to 23 years in the wild, even though this is significantly longer than their average lifespan.

For thousands of years, common ravens have coexisted with humans; in some places, they have become so abundant that people have come to view them as pests.

They are exceedingly adaptable and opportunistic in their search for food sources, feeding on carrion, insects, cereal grains, berries, fruit, small animals, nesting birds, and food waste. Their omnivorous diet contributes to their success as a species.

There is evidence of the remarkable intelligence of the common raven in some prominent examples of problem-solving.

The food of common ravens can vary greatly depending on the region, the season, and chance because they are omnivorous and highly opportunistic.

For instance, individuals feeding on the tundra on Alaska’s Arctic North Slope met roughly half of their energy requirements through predation, primarily on microtine rodents, and the other half through scavenging, primarily on caribou and ptarmigan carcasses.

In some areas, they primarily prey on carrion and accompanying maggots and carrion beetles, acting as scavengers.

They must wait for another predator to rip open the prey or use another method to flay it when dealing with large-bodied carrion because they lack the tools necessary to do it as effectively as birds like hook-billed vultures.

Moreover, they have been observed eating the postpartum of ewes and other large mammals. Cereal grains, acorns, buds, berries, and fruit are examples of plant food. They feed on tiny invertebrates, birds, small animals, amphibians, and reptiles.

Ravens may also eat the undigested components of human food waste and animal feces. They learn to conceal food out of sight of other common ravens by storing extras, especially those containing fat.

Ravens also plunder the food stores of other animals, such as Arctic foxes. They occasionally work along with another canine, the grey wolf, as a kleptoparasite, scavenging wolf kills during the winter.

7. California Condor

The largest terrestrial bird in North America is the California condor, a New World vulture. However, it has since been reintroduced to northern Arizona and southern Utah, the coastal mountains of California, and northern Baja California in Mexico.

It went extinct in the wild in 1987 when all surviving wild individuals were captured. Although four extinct species of the genus Gymnogyps are also known, it is the sole living member of the group.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has designated the species as critically endangered, and NatureServe also rates it as critically imperiled.

In search of carrion, wild condors frequently travel 250 km (160 mi) from their home zone each day. The Pleistocene megafauna, which is now mostly extinct in North America, is believed to have provided the California condor with food in the early stages of its existence as a species.

They still favor huge, terrestrial animal carcasses like those of cattle, deer, cougars, bears, goats, sheep, donkeys, horses, and donkeys.

Other food sources include the carcasses of larger animals like salmon, whales, and California sea lions, as well as smaller mammals like rabbits, squirrels, and coyotes. However, Carcasses of birds and reptiles are rarely consumed.

Although they prefer freshly killed prey, condors will occasionally consume rotting food.

Since they cannot smell, they find these dead creatures by scanning the area for other scavengers like eagles and smaller vultures, which are less effective at tearing through the harder hides of these larger animals than the larger condor.

Except for bears, who generally ignore them, and golden eagles, who will engage in combat with a condor over a kill or a carcass, they can usually intimidate other scavengers away from the carcass.

They frequently skip meals for a few days to two weeks before bingeing on 1-1.5 kilograms (2.2-3.3 lb) of meat at once in the wild, where they are intermittent feeders.

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6. Egyptian Vulture

The single species of the vulture genus Neophron is the Egyptian vulture, often known as the white scavenger vulture or the pharaoh’s chicken.

It is extensively dispersed from India to the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, and the Middle East. As it soars in thermals during the warmer hours of the day, its unusual underwing pattern and wedge-shaped tail help it stand out in flight.

Egyptian vultures hunt small mammals, birds, and reptiles on occasion but primarily consume carrion. They also eat other birds’ eggs, smashing the bigger ones by throwing a big boulder against them.

Other than using a pebble as a hammer, Egyptian vultures also roll wool into logs to use in their nest, which is an uncommon instance of tool use in birds.

While tropical populations are largely sedentary during the winter, Egyptian vultures that breed in temperate climates migrate south.

Because of hunting, unintentional poisoning, and collisions with power lines, several island populations of this species are now in danger of extinction.

They consume a variety of foods, such as carrion, vegetative matter, insects in dung, mammal feces (including those of humans), and occasionally small animals.

As it gathers with other vulture species at a dead animal, it prefers to wait for the larger species to depart before moving in. Moreover, pairs could scavenge food from other vultures, especially griffons.

Young adults that have recently flown away from their nests may compete for food with young vultures, steal from or even ask for food from the (unrelated) adults delivering food.

5. Roadrunner

Two species of swift-moving ground cuckoos with long tails and crests are known as roadrunners. They are also known as chaparral cocks or chaparral birds. They are typically found in desert areas of the southwest, south-central, and Mexico.

Roadrunners can fly, but they mainly run away from danger. Some have been observed traveling at speeds of up to 43 km/h (25 mph) on the ground (27 mph).

The omnivorous roadrunner is a pragmatist. Its typical diet consists of insects (like grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, and beetles), small reptiles (like lizards and snakes, including rattlesnakes), rodents and other small mammals, spiders (including tarantulas), scorpions, centipedes, snails, small birds (and nestlings), eggs, and fruits and seeds from plants like prickly pear and sumac.

Mostly insects are what the smaller roadrunner consumes. The roadrunner hunts by running after animals from cover while foraging on the ground.

To collect insects, it may leap into the air, and it often strikes some prey against the ground. The Roadrunner is one of the few creatures that can outrun rattlesnakes thanks to its speed, and it is also the only true predator of tarantula hawk wasps.

4. Great Skua

The great skua (Stercorarius skua) is a huge seabird belonging to the Stercorariidae skua family. In Britain, it is sometimes referred to as the bonxie, and It is comparable in size to a herring gull.

However, Fish collected at the sea’s surface or taken from other birds are its main sources of food. They primarily consume fish, birds, eggs, carrion, offal, rodents, rabbits, and berries on occasion.

Lambs and even pony foals have been known to fall victim to them. By-catch that fishing boats leave behind is likely their most abundant food source. Often you will see them steal fish from gulls, terns, and even northern gannets.

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Other seabirds up to the size of herring gulls will also be attacked and killed immediately. It exhibits less agility and more sheer power while harassing its prey than the smaller skua species, and it maintains this piratical behavior throughout the entire year.

One typical tactic is for a great skua to approach a gannet in flight and grab it by the wing, causing it to stall and crash into the water.

The gannet is then violently attacked until it gives up its catch. In all, the great skua poses little threat to other predators because of its size, aggressiveness, and intense defense of its nest.

3. European Herring Gull

The European Herring Gull is a massive gull that can reach a length of 66 cm (26 in) (Larus argentatus). It is mostly seen on Western European coastlines and was one of the most well-known gulls.

All of Europe, including Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Western Europe, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe, is home to its reproduction.

The majority of European herring gulls remain year-round residents in regions like Ireland, Britain, Iceland, or along the North Sea coasts, while a small number migrate further south in the winter, especially those who live in colder climates.

They consume a range of items, including plants, fish, and crabs. Moreover, they participate in scavenging and consuming carrion and food that has been stolen or abandoned by humans.

Like the majority of Larus gulls, they are omnivores and opportunists who scavenge from waste dumps, landfills, and sewage outflows, with refuse making up as much as half of the bird’s diet.

In addition, it hunts for suitable small prey in fields, along the coast, or in cities, as well as robbing plovers or lapwings of their catch. her birds, including those of other gulls.

Although they are normally unable to reach depths greater than 1-2 m (3.3-6.6 ft) due to their natural buoyancy, European herring gulls can dive from the water’s surface or participate in plunge diving in search of aquatic prey.

2. Red Kite

The family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors including eagles, buzzards, and harriers, includes the medium-sized red kite.

Although it once occurred in northern Iran, the species now only breed in the Western Palearctic region of Europe and northwest Africa. It is a permanent resident of western Europe and northwest Africa, where winters are milder.

However, birds from northeastern and central Europe winter further south and west down to Turkey. In the north, vagrants have reached Finland, and in the south, Israel, Libya, and the Gambia.

However, small mammals like mice, voles, shrews, young hares, and rabbits dominate the red kite’s diet. It consumes a wide range of carrion, including the remains of game birds and sheep.

Moreover, live birds as well as occasionally reptiles and amphibians are taken. Particularly in the spring, earthworms play a significant role in the diet.

Red kites are also purposefully fed in domestic gardens in various regions of the United Kingdom, which accounts for their presence in metropolitan areas.

In this area, up to 5% of householders have given red kites extra food, with chicken being the most common meat. According to research, Red kites are particularly vulnerable to poisoning since they are scavengers.

Unlawful poison baits left out for foxes or crows are indiscriminate killers of other creatures, including protected species of birds. However, there have been several instances where wildlife criminals have targeted red kites and other raptors.

Red kites have been observed in the UK on several odd occasions behaving like gulls and snatching food from humans.

In one such incident, Red Kites swooped down to steal sandwiches from people in one of the town’s parks in Marlow, Buckinghamshire (a town close to a significant reintroduction site for the species in the UK in the nearby village of Stokenchurch).

1. Lappet-faced Vulture

The Old World vulture known as the lappet-faced vulture or Nubian vulture (Torgos tracheitis) is a member of the Accipitriformes order of birds, which also includes buzzards and hawks.

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It is not closely related to the seemingly related New World vultures, and it lacks some of those birds’ keen senses of smell. Despite being split into two subspecies, the lappet-faced vulture was once thought to be monotypic.

Africa is home to members of the nominated race. The Arabian peninsula is home to the subspecies T. t. elevenses, which is very different from African vultures in appearance (as detailed below).

The lappet-faced vulture is a scavenger that mostly feeds on animal carcasses that it discovers by sight or by observing other vultures.

They always come across carrion on their own and begin tormenting the skin, more frequently than many other African vultures.

The lappet-faced vulture is the strongest and most aggressive of the African vultures, and if it decides to assert itself, other vultures will typically give it the carcass.

Although hyenas are more effective in this way, the Lappet-face can rip through the thick hides and tense muscles of huge mammals that the other vultures cannot.

This is always advantageous to the less powerful vultures (if more voracious eaters). Lappet-faced vultures have been observed often consuming newly deceased smaller animals, birds, and reptiles, and possibly more often than any other real vulture.

However, it is also thought that they occasionally attack live creatures, particularly young and frail animals as well as the nests and young of other birds.

Some of these are undoubtedly roadkills or are stolen from eagles or other raptors. According to reports, guineafowl, young impalas, and flamingo colonies (including eggs, young, and adults) have all been preyed upon.

It is thought that they drop on their victims while still hunting from an elevated perch, stunning them with the impact and tearing them apart with their powerful bills. Most remains discovered at nests come from small animals that may have been captured alive.

Conclusion

Out of many scavenger birds, I have been able to discuss 10 birds that feed on dead animals from the Pigeon guillemot down to the lappet-faced vulture.

And in all, these birds have proven to be helpful to the environment by eating up dead mammals which could be harmful to us.