what is a buzzard?
		The Buzzards of Rocky Gap is really a misnomer, for these birds that sail so proudly over Northern Bland County are actually black vultures. The black vulture is a chunky black bird that resides primarily in the temperate regions of the Americas. It is the most numerous bird of prey in the Western Hemisphere. Vultures are often found in large flocks perching near a possible food source. They roost on cliffs (a la Rocky Gap), in tall trees, or on the ground. Vultures are essentially quiet birds, but they are known to make a hissing sound when annoyed. New World vultures, such as the American black, have big, flat-nailed feet suited to holding a carcass. Their beaks are exceptionally strong and heavy, for tearing hides and meat. Vultures have bare heads that allow them to stick their head in a carcass without fear of soiling their feathers. They may remain aloft for hours, soaring gracefully on long, broad wings. Essential to vultures is their well-developed eyesight, which allows them to spot prey from great distances. Most vultures have broad food habits, consuming carrion (rotting flesh), garbage, and excrement. Contrary to popular opinion, vultures rarely prey on live animals, though a few occasionally take helpless live prey such as lambs and calves. When one bird finds a dead or dying animal, others fly in from miles away. Feeding vultures maintain a strict social order, based on body size and strength of beak. They all give way, however, to mammalian competitors. Though it is illegal to kill or harm these birds, they have an average lifespan of only five years. Even though buzzards, or vultures, I should say, appear little more than scavengers roaming the skies to prey on innocent animals, they are truly magnificent birds whose purpose, though obscure, begs to be appreciated.
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