Farmers and ranchers throughout the Midwest are contending with the presence of black vultures, a bird species protected by federal law but notorious for preying on newborn livestock.

While these birds serve a significant ecological role, their burgeoning population is posing a considerable challenge for agricultural producers.

Yancy Paul vividly recalls a moment from early spring when he urgently crossed his verdant pasture.

He hurriedly opened one gate after another, racing to reach his newly born calf that had fallen victim to swarming groups of black vultures, KCUR reported.

“Before I could get to him, it was probably 40 or 50 of them just plucking at that newborn calf,” Paul said.

Assisting his parents, Beth and Jim Little, in tending to their beef cattle and sheep on an expansive 800-acre farm in Lexington, Oklahoma,

Paul had heard tales of black vultures targeting young livestock. However, witnessing this spectacle was an experience he would never forget.

“They literally pick holes in them,” Paul said. “I mean they just start with their eyes and in their backside and then just start pecking holes in their guts.”

Paul joins the swelling ranks of farmers and ranchers who are grappling with losses of newborn livestock—calves, lambs, and piglets—attributed to black vultures.

These birds typically migrate from South America through the southeastern United States.

However, over the last decade, black vultures have extended their territorial reach northward, penetrating areas such as Missouri, Indiana, and Illinois.

Written by staff