Vulture

This model illustrates the appearance of a vulture. The vulture is a bird of prey. New World vultures include the California condor and the Andean condor. Old World vultures include birds that are seen collecting trash from dead animals in the African plains. A feature of many vultures is a bald head - a head devoid of normal plumage. While it has historically been thought to help keep the scalp clean while nursing, bare skin may play an important role in thermoregulation. They are noted to warm their bodies and bend their heads in cold conditions, open their wings and stretch their necks in hot weather.