Old World vultures are vultures that are found in the Old World, i.e. the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, and which belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, buzzards, kites, and hawks.
Old World vulture
Image: Bearded Vulture with bone Catalan Pyrenees Spain
Image: Palm nut Vulture Murchison Falls NP Uganda 06 5600 (15280673919)
Image: Egyptian vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture. Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and South America and consist of seven identified species, all belonging to the Cathartidae family.
A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald, unfeathered head. This bare skin is thought to keep the head clean when feeding, and also plays an important role in thermoregulation.
Vulture
Some members of both the Old and New World vultures have an unfeathered neck and head, shown as radiating heat in this thermographic image.
Griffon vultures scavenging a red deer carcass in Spain
Griffon vulture soaring