This post’s caption is a euphemism – one commonly applied to humans who used to be called “garbage men”, “refuse collectors”, or “garbos”,
Vultures are also crucially-important “sanitation engineers”.
Generally reviled and/or targeted/persecuted by humans, vultures are in fact hugely-beneficial to humankind’s health.
Most of the 23 generally-recognised vulture species are now in serious decline.
The 16 Old World vultures inhabit African and/or Eurasian places.
The 7 New World vultures live in the Americas.
6 of them fly in Colombian skies.
We enjoyed a surprisingly close encounter with this post’s hero in the foothills of northern Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta on 10 March 2026.
S/he is a black vulture, Coragyps atratus.
Click here for more on this species.
Future, multi-image posts will feature a couple of other species…on the ground, scavenging…and aloft, “on patrol”.
Meanwhile, don’t forget that the first Saturday in every September is IVAD – International Vulture Awareness Day!
If you visit IVAD’s excellent website you will see & discover much more…&, surely, recognise that vultures do not belong on any logical list of humans’ enemies.
It is no coincidence that when India’s vulture numbers suddenly-plunged (they have since recovered) Indian humans’ death-rate suddenly-rose.
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