Category:Vulture

Vul"ture, n. Etym: [oe. vultur, l. vultur: cf. Of. voltour, f. Vautour.] (zoöl.)

Defn: any one of numerous species of rapacious birds belonging to Vultur, cathartes, catharista, and various other genera of the family Vulturidæ.

Note: in most of the species the head and neck are naked or nearly So. They feed chiefly on carrion. The condor, king vulture, turkey Buzzard, and black vulture (catharista atrata) are well known American species. The griffin, lammergeir, and pharaoh's chicken, or Egyptian vulture, are common old world vultures.

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---excerpt from the Illustrated Bible Dictionary

Vulture - (1.) Heb. da'ah (Leviticus 11:14). In the parallel passage (Deuteronomy 14:13) the Hebrew word used is ra'ah, rendered " glede ;" LXX., " gups ;" Vulg., " milvus ." A species of ravenous bird, distinguished for its rapid flight. "When used without the epithet 'red,' the name is commonly confined to the black kite. The habits of the bird bear out the allusion in Isaiah 34:15, for it is, excepting during the winter three months, so numerous everywhere in Palestine as to be almost gregarious." (See EAGLE.) (2.) In Job 28:7 the Heb. 'ayyah is thus rendered. The word denotes a clamorous and a keen-sighted bird of prey. In Leviticus 11:14 and Deuteronomy 14:13 it is rendered "kite" (q.v.).