Have you ever used that term? Maybe I should ask, have you been called "an old Buzzard" ? You most likely didn't hear it if you had. Being associated with buzzards isn't too nice a compliment. They look for dead things and feast on them. The riper the better. Let me tell you about our North American buzzards. They are called vultures, or condor.
The California Condor is our largest soaring bird. It is almost extinct. There are fewer than fifty. They died from eating coyotes that had been poisoned. To add to the problem a condor female only lays an egg every two years. You can see they don't have much of a chance.
The Black Vulture we can see often. They fly with short, choppy bursts. They are smaller than the Turkey Vulture and do not have red on the face. There is a bit of white on the wing tips, and the wings are short and fan-shaped. They like to let a fresh carcass ripen for easier pickings. Of course that is risky with coyotes around. They are more aggressive than the Turkey Vulture and will run it off if possible.
The Turkey Vulture is a familiar sight. I saw a group of twenty or more gathered at a site this afternoon. They are great soarers with a bit of wind and will get quite high. They work the roads for any kind of road kill available, Because of their messy work these vultures have no feathers about their faces. The Turkey Vulture locates by smell. The Black Vulture goes by sight and will often let the Turkey guy find his meal then move in on it.
Caracara, or Mexican Eagle, has come across the border and is gradually moving north. He is decorated in black and white and can look a bit like a Bald Eagle. You might see them gather with the vultures for a meal.
These birds play an important role. It isn't pretty, but it is vital. Without them we could get a huge collection of dead animals and birds. You probably don't want one for a cage pet.
There are jobs like what these birds have. Getting rid of thousands of tons of garbage. Burying the dead. Cleaning up horrendous messes. On and on the jobs go. Be thankful there are people willing to take on the less than desirable work in our land. Think about it before you call that guy "an old buzzard".
