Farmers across the Midwest are dealing with a new problem — black vultures are attacking livestock. This scavenger species didn't live in the area previously; however, warming temperatures have expanded its range.
What's happening?
Black vultures, usually found in the southeastern U.S. and Latin America, are now appearing north of their typical range. The Associated Press reported that warmer winters fueled by rising global temperatures have enabled the birds to survive in regions that were once too cold. On top of that, human development has provided them with more food sources. Their move north has brought them into closer contact with cattle ranches and vulnerable animals.Farmer Tom Karr, who lives near Pomeroy, Ohio, can't stand what the vultures do to young and sick animals. "They just basically eat them alive. It is so disgusting." Farmers in Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Indiana reported that the birds follow calving seasons and target defenseless baby calves.
Because black vultures are federally protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, farmers have to get special permits to kill even a few birds. Some, like Allan Bryant of Eminence, Kentucky, resort to hanging a dead vulture as a deterrent (a requirement under his permit). But as he noted, "they eventually come back."
Why is this habitat shift concerning?
A single calf can be worth $1,000 or more, and losing one can threaten the financial stability of a family farm. That's just one more risk piled on for communities already facing pressures from erratic weather and unreliable crop yields.Black vultures — no matter how aggressive they are — play an essential role in the ecosystem. Vultures consume animal carcasses, helping limit the spread of disease. Killing them, experts warn, could throw off this balance and potentially open the door for more disruptive scavengers.
Andrew Farnsworth of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology emphasized that the birds are simply adapting to new conditions. "They are very good at taking advantage of food resources and remembering where those things are," he explained. He also pointed out that research doesn't show that they account for a large proportion of livestock deaths.
What's being done about problematic black vultures?
Lawmakers have proposed a bill that would allow farmers to kill or capture more black vultures without the current red tape.Experts, however, say that widespread killing may cause unintended consequences. Instead, researchers recommend more studies to understand the birds' impact and better ideas for deterring them.
Around the world, conservation groups continue pushing for coexistence strategies to reduce negative human-wildlife encounters, such as The Bear Patrol in Spain and wildlife corridors in California and Colorado. However, a safer future for people and animals alike relies on addressing the underlying causes of these behavioral shifts — climate shifts fueled by human activity.
