# What Do Vultures Eat?

> What vultures eat: Scavenger (carrion), foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Mountains, plains, and open country.

- **Species:** Vulture (*Gyps fulvus*)
- **Conservation status:** Endangered
- **Diet:** Scavenger (carrion)
- **Habitat:** Mountains, plains, and open country
- **Lifespan:** 20–30 years
- **Top speed:** Soars for hours; can dive faster
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/vulture/what-do-vulture-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/vulture/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

A vulture is a large bird of prey that feeds mainly on carrion, soaring for hours on broad wings to find carcasses. Its often bald head stays cleaner while feeding. Vultures provide a vital sanitation service, can live 20 to 30 years, and several species are now Critically Endangered.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Masters of soaring

Vultures are built to cover huge distances with almost no effort, riding rising columns of warm air called thermals on long, broad wings. From great height they scan the ground, and Old World vultures rely mainly on sharp eyesight to spot carcasses or the activity of other scavengers.

## Help protect the Vulture

The vulture is listed as Endangered, with habitat loss the leading threat to its future.

[Donate to protect habitat](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/habitats/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/vulture/what-do-vulture-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.