The Conservation Challenges of New World and Old World Vultures
by Kim Thorburn
Kim Thorburn
Spokane Audubon Society member Kim Thorburn will present our February 8, 2023 chapter meeting program on vultures. An avid birder who “wishes to soar,” Kim grew up in the Central Valley of California, which made turkey vultures a favorite. As a member of the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission and field volunteer on bird species recovery work, she says she “obsesses about wildlife conservation.” New World and Old World vultures, providers of vital ecosystem services, are biologically fascinating and conservation impaired. Many species of New World and Old World vultures are red-listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Numerous species of these ancient taxa have not survived to contemporary times but the role of these taxonomic families in ecosystems is critical. Their crucial role as environmental scavengers underlies the threat to their survival and work to conserve vultures is a lesson in wildlife conservation. Kim’s presentation will discuss the taxonomy of New World and Old World vultures with biologic tidbits and analysis of the conservation questions.
