In the last few weeks the vultures have taken up roost in the trees at Casa Palo Alto. A group of these large birds has decided that the trees on the hill just above Casa Palo Alto are a great place to spend the day resting, drying their feathers and taking in the sights and smells of Monte Azul and Chimirol.
Although they look like something from an Alfred Hitchcock movie, these birds are quite interesting. In Spanish they are called Zopilotes or Gallinazo, both very exotic sounding names. These birds belong to the Family Catharditae. They are very large, about 25" long and are often mistaken for hawks as they soar in search of carrion. You can only identify them by sight. They do not have any vocalizations.
They have a highly developed sense of smell which they use to locate their food. Other genera of vultures can locate carrion by sight not smell. Casa Palo Alto is a great place to roost if you rely on smells. The breezes come up the mountainside and carry with it the smell of potential meals. Smells that are completely undetectable by humans and can be miles away.
It is relaxing and mesmerizing to just sit on the terrace at Casa Palo Alto watching these grand and beautiful birds come and go, congregate in the trees and jostle for the best branch. The zopliotes are just one of 240 sepcies of birds that have been indentified at Monte Azul.
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