Rainweary - 1-30-2004 at 12:26 AM
EVERYBODY has buzzard photos, right??
This one was checking if I was alive as I lay on the beach
http://markhammonds.com/P3050223.JPG
Bob H - 1-30-2004 at 08:41 AM
Fantastic shot!
Gotta Love Buzzards!
Herb - 1-30-2004 at 11:44 AM
David K - 1-30-2004 at 07:34 PM
Neal Johns has a great vulture* shot at: http://davidksbaja.com/neal2
From the encyclopedia:
*Vultures belong to the order Falconiformes. The American vultures make up the family Cathartidae. The Andean condor is classified as Vultur gryphus,
the *turkey vulture* as Cathartes aura, the American black vulture as Coragyps atratus, and the California condor as Gymnogyps californianus. The
Eurasian and African vultures belong to the family Accipitridae. The Egyptian vulture is classified as Neophron percnopterus and R?pell's griffon as
Gyps rueppellii.
_________________________________
*Buzzard: a common name used in most of the English-speaking world for certain hawks, but widely applied in North America as a vernacular name for the
smaller species of New World vultures, especially the *turkey vulture*.
Scientific classification: The hawks commonly known as buzzards belong to the genus Buteo of the family Accipitridae, order Falconiformes. The *TURKEY
VULTURE* belongs to the family Cathartidae and is classified as Cathartes aura.
_________________________________
So, 'buzzard' is the vernacular or local slang name for a vulture, but can also include hawks, a totally seperate species.
I had a friend who had the C.B. handle 'Buzzard', and it was he who said buzzards lived in Transylvania, not here. So, my original info came directly
from a 'buzzard'! Now I know that both are properly called vultures, but are known (less correctly) as 'buzzards'.
We certainly can learn new things, every day!
[Edited on 1-31-2004 by David K]
Poor Buzzards
Tucker - 1-30-2004 at 09:01 PM
http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/english/naturaleza/fauna...
By: Luis F. Cari?o Preciado
These zealous scavengers can be found everywhere, from remote rural areas to densely populated cities.
?The c-ckroach is dead now, she?s being carried off to her grave by four vultures and a church mouse?.
Pity poor vultures and condors! Their close association with death, their drab plumage, bare heads and necks, and -to make matters worse- their habit
of eating carrion, have surrounded them with such a sinister aura that few people show any real concern for these sombre creatures. Nonetheless, the
ancient Mexicans were able to identify the different species of vultures and even named the 16th day of their calendar after one of them. This
particular species, probably the most beautiful of the carrion-eating birds, was the king vulture (Sarcorhamphus papa), which they called
Cozcacuahtli, meaning ?eagle with a collar?, because of the ring of feathers which fringed the base of its neck.
The common name applied to vultures in Mexico, ?zopilote?, comes from the Nahuatl tzopilotl, a fusion of tzoltl, meaning ?filth?, and pilotl, a form
of the verb piloa, meaning ?to hang or pick up?. Hence the term tzopilotl literally meant ?picker of filth?, whick could be interpreted as ?he who
takes or cleans up filth.
The vulture was represented in all artistic manifestations of the ancient Mexicans: codices, petroglyphs, murals, high and bas-reliefs, sculptures and
even musical instruments such as the huehuetl from Malinalco. Thus, it seems that the useful cleansing activities of these scavengers were
acknowledged and that the birds were held in high esteem.
Some villages in Mexico have ancient, indigenous names related to the vulture, such as Tzopilotepec, ?in the hill of the vultures?; Cozcatlan, ?where
the king vulture abounds?; Cozcacuauhtenanco, and so on.
Allusions to vultures are made in several Mexican folk songs, and at least 15 songs about vultures themselves have been written. According to
Guillermo Contreras, an expert on Mexican music, these songs include polkas, corridos and sones, among others.
The famous zoo owned by Motecuhzoma II, known as ?the house of the birds?, probably included Mexican species of vultures. This may be inferred from
the accounts of the Spanish chronicler and historian Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who says that in this zoo there were ??royal eagles and other smaller
eagles and many other types of birds with big bodies.?
The following extract is from volume 11 of the Florentine Codex: ?There are in this land some birds which are commonly known as auras; they are black,
have an ugly head and travel in flocks or sometimes in pairs; they eat dead flesh; they can always be found close to the villages??
On January 11, 1570, Francisco Hernandez was named ?Royal Physician of the Western Indies, Isles and Firm Land of the Ocean Sea.? He arrived in Mexico
around 1571, with the purpose of studying the natural resources of New Spain. His work resulted in a book entitled Natural History of New Spain, whose
chapters XXVII and CXII are headed ?Coscacuauhtli, king of the auras? and ?Of the Tzopilotl or aura? respectively.
In 1780 the Jesuit priest Francisco Javier Marino Clavijero published his Ancient History of Mexico, which mentions the Tzopilotl and the
Coscacuauhtli or king vulture on page 124.
Around 1880, a naturalist from the state of Tabasco produced ?Notes on the zoology of Tabasco?, from which the following is transcribed: ?Cathartes
aura Mountain vulture? The common name applied to this vulture derives from its habit of dwelling in remote sites, faraway from villages, often in
woods incorrectly called ?mountains?. Sarcorhamphus papa. King of the vultures? one of the most beautiful species of our birds which inhabits the
plains and covered in virgin jungle?
?Although there may be hundreds of buzzards (vultures) gathered around the remains of an animal, all retreat as soon as the royal sarcorhamphus
appears. They perch on a nearby tree or on the ground and wait until he appeases his hunger and leaves. As soon as he does, they all return to fight
over the remains.
?Coragyps atratus. ?Zopilote, Shope, Chombo?. Rotten flesh is not all that vultures feed on; they also enjoy fresh meat, and it is not uncommon for
them to attack sick or agonizing animals? These zealous scavengers can be found everywhere, from remote rural areas to densely populated cities. It is
logical to assume that far from diminishing in numbers due to the presence of Europeans on this continent, the bird has multiplied as a result of the
introduction of cattle and other animals? and since the Spaniards respect it as much as the Indians, thousands of vultures now swarm around the fields
and towns, invading even the rooftops of houses??
Today, only five species of vultures exist in Mexico, all of which are birds of prey.
Almost everyone associates buzzards and vultures with death, which is not surprising, considering that these birds really do have necrophagous habits,
that is, feeding on carrion.
Real vultures, or ?Old World vultures?, only exist in that part of the world and are not closely related -biologically speaking- to ?New World
vultures?, better known as turkey buzzards and condors. These birds of prey in that their respiratory orifices are joined together and connected at
the beak. The claws on their feet resemble a chicken?s more closely than those of birds of prey. Their great nasal cavities are suggestive of their
sense of smell, which is unique to birds of prey. Another important characteristic is that neither the turkey buzzard nor the condor builds a nest.
Unfortunately, the situation for vultures in Mexico at this moment is becoming critical. Water, soil and air pollution and the ruthless deforestation
of jungles, with the consequent destruction of the vulture?s habitats, increase daily. The rapid growth of villages and cities, the cruel and
indiscriminate hunting of these birds by humans of all ages, and the accidental or even premeditated crushing of vultures on the highway as they feed
on carrion, are factors which also contribute to the drastic, rapid decrease in the vulture population. However, the main cause of death in vultures
today are pesticides, especially DDT, to which birds of prey are particularly vulnerable. Because vultures are at the end of food chains, their bodies
tend to concentrate a greater amount of DDT than the original source, which results in:
1. A delay in the reproductive period or complete sterility.
2. Extreme thinness of eggshells and fracture of eggs laid.
3. Inability to produce more eggs after the first ones have been lost.
4. High mortality among embryos and among chicks.
Another pollutant which poses a serious threat is burning plastic. When plastic materials are burnt, they produce certain toxic gases whose molecular
structure is very similar to that of DDT.
In spite of the legal protection it receives, the king vulture -which only inhabits the jungle- loses more of its territory each year as a result of
widespread deforestation.
MEXICO?S VULTURES
The seven species of the Cathartidae family alive today are found only in the American continent. Of these, the Andes condor is the largest flying
bird in the world.
The seven species of condors and vultures are:
the turkey buzzard?Cathartes aura;
the yellow buzzard?Cathartes burrovianus;
the great yellow buzzard?Cathartes melambrotus;
the black buzzard?Coragyps atratus;
the king vulture?Sarcorhamphus papa;
the California condor?Gymnogyps californianus;
the Andes condor?Vultur gryphus.
Of these, five species inhabit Mexico: the turkey buzzard, the yellow buzzard, the black buzzard, the king buzzard and the California condor.
Source: M?xico desconocido # 133 / march 1988
[Edited on 1-31-2004 by Tucker]
I once saw a pic. of circling buzzards
Debra - 1-30-2004 at 10:30 PM
Don't know who the dead idiot under it with the cell phone was though. 
Cell Phone No Good Here!
David K - 1-31-2004 at 10:55 AM
Attempting to obtain help in the wilds of Baja, this poor Norteamericana's calls from the trail to Yubay were unanswered (vultures were circling)! http://davidksbaja.com/van1/page5.html
NARC
Debra - 1-31-2004 at 11:17 AM
Mexray - 1-31-2004 at 12:06 PM
Tucker...with all that 'Buzzard Data', you should probably find a buzzard avatar to post with your name!
As most of you probably know, Turkey Buzzards like to roost in the same tree each night...My folks had a home on a few acres in the hills west of Napa
- there was a huge cedar tree about 50yds from the back porch. We would sit back there in the evenings and watch the TB's soaring ever closer as the
sun dropped over the mountain behind us. One by one they would finally swoop onto their favorite branch, and gently fold their large wings to snooze
and wait for the morning's light...
[Edited on 31-1-2004 by Mexray]
Natalie Ann - 1-31-2004 at 12:45 PM
Turkey Buzzard avatar?
Tucker - 1-31-2004 at 12:51 PM
Ray, I think a "google search" avatar would be more appropriate.
Natalie Ann - 1-31-2004 at 01:05 PM
Another way of seeing buzzards... in this case getting ready for some recent roadkill - and on the other side IN the road 'twas identical roadkill.
Glad our only involvement was the photo shoot. 
Wow Nat and Herb!
Debra - 1-31-2004 at 09:50 PM
Really nice pictures! Wish I could figure out how to post some. Thanks to all that do.
[Edited on 2-1-2004 by Debra]