Birds of a Feather Talk Together

117: Palm-nut Vulture - A Vulture that Eats Fruit

John Bates, Shannon Hackett, RJ Pole, Amanda Marquart Episode 117

Welcome back to Birds of a Feather Talk Together. Hosted by ornithologists and curators of birds at the Field Museum John Bates and Shannon Hackett, who are married, and also new birders RJ and Amanda Pole. 

Today we’re focusing on a fascinating species — the palm-nut vulture.

This is a bird John has been eager to highlight, and once you learn more about it, it’s easy to see why. Found in Africa, palm-nut vultures don’t eat carrion, but instead their diet is mostly plant based. 

They’re also striking in appearance — mostly white plumage, a sharp contrast to the darker vultures many of us picture — and they’re truly impressive to observe in the wild.

John has had the opportunity to see palm-nut vultures in the wild, and today he’ll share firsthand insight into their behavior and ecology.

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