# Do vultures ever kill ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 29, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612 "2016-01-29T21:08:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/1 "2016-01-29T21:08:11Z")
I was wondering if vultures ever take live prey. Would they be able to kill a sick, weakened critter, or do they exclusively dine on dead things? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/2 "2016-01-29T21:16:14Z")
Yes, they occasionally will kill weak, injured, or helpless animals. This is rare, however. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/3 "2016-01-29T21:22:53Z")
As Colibri said, Vultures are opportunistic, and generally scavengers. Will they join in a kill already in progress, or go after sick and dying animals? Only if there isn’t something easier to eat somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/4 "2016-01-29T21:23:54Z")
I asked this question once of a docent at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (formerly known as the Wild Animal Park.) They gave the same answer: sure, once in a while, they’ll kill something for food. But it’s rare, and they prefer pre-deceased yumyums. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/5 "2016-01-29T21:27:00Z")
The [cartoon](http://scottq.typepad.com/.a/6a00e0098b2191883300e554f4b02b8833-500pi) isn’t a lie! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/6 "2016-01-29T22:34:00Z")
New World vultures don’t have [raptorial feet](http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/72600/72661/72661_hawkfoot_lg.gif) like hawks or eagles. Their feet are [relatively weak and have blunt claws.](https://theiwrc.org/raptorID/black%20vulture/blvu_juvie_feet2_091307.jpg) [Turkey vultures](http://takethemoment.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/balzac-head-a1.jpg) and black vultures also have relatively weak beaks compared to other raptors. This makes it hard for them to kill anything that might put up a struggle. In addition, they have trouble biting through the hide of larger animals. They may need to wait until a carcass is opened up by predators or other scavengers (or by being run over by a car). If not, they go in through the bodies orifices or wait till rotting softens it up. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/7 "2016-01-29T22:45:15Z")
The Vulture has tried to kill Spider-Man on multiple occasions. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/8 "2016-01-29T23:15:16Z")
Apparently, black vultures are more likely to take live prey than turkey vultures, but it will still be weak, small or newborn animals. There is this article about starving vultures in Spain because of laws intended to control mad cow disease: [https://Starving Vultures Switch to Live Prey/](https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn11970-starving-vultures-switch-to-live-prey/) > [@](#): > > The birds normally eat the placentas of newborn sheep in pastures, says Iñigo, but now “the vulture tries to eat it even before it has come off the sheep.” And the birds are grabbing shot animals from Spanish hunters before they can reach it. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/9 "2016-01-29T23:20:20Z")
Hey, thanks for the replies. ---
**Author:** ![Anarcho\_Liberalist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Anarcho\_Liberalist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anarcho_Liberalist)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/10 "2016-01-29T23:26:57Z")
Im pretty sure they dont always wait for their supper to die though. I remember a David Attenborough clip where they start pecking at some weakened animal before it drew its last breath.It’s not murder, but it surely speeds up the process… ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/11 "2016-01-29T23:27:32Z")
Depends on the species. My favorite vulture species, the [Egyptian vulture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egyptian_vulture), will take prey and is even known to use tools to break eggs. The [lappet-faced vulture](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lappet-faced_vulture) is known to hunt, as is the [bearded vulture/lammergeier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearded_vulture). ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/12 "2016-01-29T23:39:10Z")
> [@Anarcho\_Liberalist](#): > > …where they start pecking at some weakened animal before it drew its last breath.It’s not murder, but it surely speeds up the process… Its not murder ? Is it euthanasia ? Well intent is often used in human cases… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2016, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/13 "2016-01-29T23:43:11Z")
Well, they can be ‘fooled’ into doing so as part of a [truly horrific form of torture](http://http://www.boston-catholic-journal.com/tortures-and-torments-of-the-christian-martyrs-de-ss-martyrum-cruciatibus-gallonio/torments-of-the-christian-martyrs-martyrum-cruciatibus.htm) (search for "vulture’ on linked page). ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-vultures-ever-kill/744612/14 "2016-01-30T00:13:55Z")
Mention vultures and I think of this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/MGTWmrnPdgk/hqdefault.jpg "vultures from jungle book") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGTWmrnPdgk)