The world would be a smellier place without vultures. They eat food that other animals leave behind: stinky, rotting meat! Their bald head keeps rotting food from sticking to it as they eat.
Egyptian vultures don’t have a bald head. That's because they eat things that aren’t as messy: lizards, worms, insects, rats, rabbits, and overripe fruit. They sometimes look for food in garbage dumps. Egyptian vultures really like to eat eggs, especially ostrich eggs! But ostrich eggs are tough: so tough, you can stand on one without cracking it. How does the vulture solve this challenge? It selects just the right-size rock to drop on the egg, to crack it open. The clever bird then slurps up the goodies! Only a few animal species use tools, and the Egyptian vulture is one of them.
Look for them with their habitat mates, the hooded vultures, in African Woods.
