Ugly? Filthy? Harbingers of doom? Ridiculous!! Vultures, both New and Old World, are among the most fascinating birds, and they play an extremely important part in the ecosystem. As scavengers, they eat the remains of killed or dead animals, and keep the environment clean of rot and disease. And yet we hate and fear them. What's worse, these "ugly and wretched" birds or living in a world that is some sick mix of a junkyard and graveyard with diseases that make the Black Death look like a really long flu season? I choose the vultures over that! I love these magnificent yet misunderstood avians, about as much as I love crows and ravens. Plus, I've seen The Jungle Book, and their vultures are the ones I mostly remember. Nothing's more likeable about vultures than a quartet of Beatles Buzzards who would accept you as a friend.