Introduction
Vultures are birds of prey of the Falconiformes order that usually feed especially on dead animals, although in the absence of these, they are capable of hunting live prey. Vultures are distributed on all continents, except Antarctica and Oceania. The vultures of the New World (America) belong to the Cathartidae family, while those of the Old World (the rest of the continents) belong to the Accipitridae family; their similarities are due to the fact that they are adapted to the same ecological niche, not because they share a common ancestor.
vultures in culture
The vulture was a bird consecrated to Mars and Juno, perhaps because of the evil that these divinities do to men. At the time of Rómulo his flight was consulted in the auspices and his appearance was a good omen. The poets have made him a symbol of greed, avarice and cruelty.
The Egyptians looked at this bird with great respect and had it as a symbol of Nest. According to them, the vulture also served to indicate sight, knowledge of things to come, the year, the sky, etc. It also denoted motherhood because they believed that there were only female vultures and that they reproduced in a particular way. He indicated the sight because they thought that among all the animals it was the one that has the most perceptive.
The Jews considered them one of the unclean animals since Jehovah forbade them to eat them.
Source: Wikipedia
Vultures in the Bible
Bird of prey of the vulturids, with a bald head, which is why in Scripture it is called bald eagle, Mi 1, 16, and naked neck, hooked beak, large, its wingspan can reach up to three meters, it feeds on dead animals, on carrion, Is 34, 15; Mt 24, 28; Lk 17, 37. The b., like all its species, is considered an unclean animal, Lv 11, 13-14; Deut 14, 12.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
Bird of great proportions (the length of its wings can reach 3 m), which feeds mainly on dead animals. the b. it appears on the list of animals forbidden to eat (Lev 11:18). Various words are used in the Bible to point to b. Sometimes the translation uses †œeagle† , as in Job 39:27-30, where it is obvious that it refers to a b. because it says that “where there are corpses, there she is”. The same thing happens in Mic 1:16, where a bald eagle is mentioned, which is usually a reference to b. Likewise in Mat 24:28 and Luke 17:37, since the word “eagle” in Greek is the same as that used for b. The b. Named in the Bible are Buteo sp., Aegypius monachus, and Neophron percnopterus. †¢Bible animals.
Source: Christian Bible Dictionary
In the Reina-Valera version the word “vulture” appears as a translation of the Hebrew terms “ayyah” (Jb. 28:7); dayyah, a bird that dwells in ruins (Isa. 34:15); they are classified among the unclean birds. The word “nesher”, translated as eagle, seems to be the bird known as the Great Vulture, the “Gyps fulvus”, although it could include other species. Their habits agree with those of the bird called “eagle” in the Reina-Valera versions, and they are abundant in Palestine. As soon as an animal drops dead, large numbers of these birds congregate around its carcass, according to Jb. 9:26 (cf. Matt. 24:28). The true eagle is a solitary bird, but vultures are rarely found alone. The expression “take on the wing” describes exactly how the vultures lift their young, and teach them to fly (Ex. 19:4; Deut. 32:11). The vulture also agrees with baldness (Mic. 1:16), because the vulture’s head and neck lack feathers. Its speed is proverbial (Lm. 4:19), and it perches on high rocks, from which it observes the horizon and stalks prey (Jb. 39:27; Jer. 49:16).
Source: New Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Large scavenger birds that perform a valuable service in hot lands by eating dead animals and rotting meat, which might otherwise become a source of disease. Mosaic law considered these birds unclean. (Le 11:13, 18; De 14:12, 17)
In Arabic, a language related to Hebrew, a word similar to ra cham designates the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus). This bird is white, except for the black tips of its wings and its yellow bill and legs. It is the smallest of the vultures found in biblical lands, being able to reach about 65 cm. long. Its bare face covered with rough skin, large eyes, curved beak, and curved claws make its appearance quite repulsive. Because it even eats the garbage that other vultures discard, it is considered the dirtiest scavenger in the Middle East, although, by the same token, the best servicer.
The common or griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is yellowish brown in color, and has a wingspan and length of about 2.70 m. and 1 m., respectively. This vulture was the symbol of the Egyptian goddess Nejbet, and the Egyptian, Assyrian and Persian armies carried the figure of this bird of prey on their banners.
The bearded vulture or bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is a large bird of prey that can reach 1.2 m. of length. Its long and pointed wings of about 3 m. wingspan allow it to fly with extraordinary elegance, gliding in circles while scanning the land in search of food. Unlike other vultures, the bearded vulture has feathers on its head and a kind of small beard that somewhat resembles that of a goat. It has the curious habit of dropping bones from the air against rocks to break them and eat the marrow inside.
The Hebrew word `oz·ni·yáh must designate the black vulture (Aegypius monachus), the largest raptor found in Israel. Its color is closer to brown than black, it has the typical bare head of the vulture, a bluish neck and a wedge-shaped tail.
Source: Dictionary of the Bible
birds in the bible