Black Vulture has a taste for cat food

File photo of Black Vulture

Vultures are scavengers, soaring high above the landscape while they look for carcasses of dead animals on the ground. A birdwatcher in Haafsville, Lehigh County, got a close view of the bird, which apparently had become wise to his habits.

Dave Neimeyer was placing cat food on the open porch of his house on August 7. "As soon as I went back inside, the Black Vulture landed and started eating," he said. "When I went back outside, it moved a few feet away and shuffled a few feet further when I approached."

After deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, the vulture finally flew to the roof of a shed 30 feet away and perched there for awhile.

Cat food? How is that for about opportunistic behavior!

Black Vultures usually feed exclusively on carrion, including road kill. They've been known to eat the bodies of feral hogs, poultry, cattle, donkeys, raccoons, coyotes, opossums, skunks and armadillos. They may kill and eat the young of some birds or mammals. The vultures also investigate humans' trash, be that in dumpsters or landfills.

Black Vultures depend on keen eyesight to find their meals. They have a relatively poor sense of smell compared to their relative, the Turkey Vulture. Sometimes they'll watch the behavior of Turkey Vultures for the signal that carrion is available.

Both species are common in the Lehigh Valley, especially during the warmer months, according to Birds of the Lehigh Valley and Vicinity.