There are two names for the denuded - headed birds of fair game that feed on roadkill and circle misplace characters in cartoons : vulturesandbuzzards . At least that ’s the case in North America . In other portion of the domain , buzzards and predator aretwo different birds .
Vultureis the easiest word to define , because the name describes the same animal in all English - mouth countries . The birds are scavengers fuck for their distinct , unfeathered heads . There are 23 metal money of vulture found throughout the globe , admit the Meleagris gallopavo vulture and theAndean condor .
Buzzardhas become a slang term for piranha in the United States , but it ’s used much differently across the Atlantic . In the UK and elsewhere , buzzardis a name for a type of war hawk . Buzzards , which cover up the genusButeo , are medium- to large - sized bird of prey that feed on small birds , mammals , and carrion . There are 26 hawk species with the wordbuzzardin their name , including the European dear - buzzard , the lizard Cathartes aura , and the vulgar turkey buzzard . member of theButeogroup are native to North America as well , but here they ’re only have-to doe with to ashawks .
So how didvulturesbecamebuzzardsin America ? you could blame early European settler . When these settlers first attend vultures flying luxuriously above them in the sky , they likely notice a resemblance to the broad - winged , dark - feathered birds of prey from back dwelling . By the sentence they see predator up close and realized they were n’t hawks , the name had already advance traction .
This is n’t the only case of Americans using an animate being name in a confusing room . Here , possum are often calledpossumsfor short , even thoughpossumis the name of an entirely dissimilar marsupial species aboriginal to Australia . So if you ’re traveling abroad and want to tell someone you saw a Buteo buteo eating a possum , pick out your language carefully .
Have you got a Big interrogation you ’d like us to answer ? If so , permit us know by netmail us atbigquestions@mentalfloss.com .
