Vultures play a critical role in our ecosystem.  They are the garbage men of nature and fill an important niche in the decomposition process by helping break apart and eating large chunks of dead animals.  It is said that you can tell an ecosystem is relatively healthy if there is a thriving vulture population because that means a large population of other animals who are dying at a steady rate and providing a reliable food source to the birds.  However, most people, including many nature enthusiasts, don’t pay very much attention to these birds.