British zoologists from the Natural History Museum in London have found a way to determine what extinct species of vultures and other birds of prey usually ate. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Journal of Zoology (JOZ).
Scientists compared the skulls of 22 living vulture species and found that bone shape can accurately predict a particular species’ preferred feeding strategy.
Today, there are 23 vulture species divided into two different families. Afro-Eurasian vultures belong to the Accipitridae family, which also includes birds such as golden eagles and hawks. The second group is the North American vultures of the family Cathartidae, which includes the California condor.
Although the two groups evolved completely independently of each other, different vulture species belonging to these families have been observed to prefer certain parts of the carcass. These can be divided into three categories: rippers, swallowers and scrapers.
Removers often choose really strong materials like leather and sinew. Swallows prey on soft innards such as intestines and other internal organs, while scrapers prey on inedibles.
Specialization in different parts of the carcass allowed various vulture species to coexist and evolve side by side, rather than competing for the same type of food. As a result, their shape was adapted to different types of diet.
The researchers found that vultures’ different skull shapes divide them into three groups that coincide with three different feeding strategies. So the predators had a wider skull and a powerful beak with which they could tear apart hard tissues. Scrapers had the thinnest beak designed to pick up small food debris, while gobblers had the narrowest skull and a relatively long beak, allowing them to reach soft interiors.
The zoologists also examined the skulls of eight non-vulture birds of prey that were similar in size and habitat. The skulls of these birds were much more similar in shape and less diverse than the skulls of scavengers.
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