Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!cognos!stewartw
From: stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: The buzzards of Hinkley
Message-ID: <9120@cognos.UUCP>
Date: 12 Dec 90 17:53:36 GMT
References: <1990Dec9.010930.15344@redpoll.neoucom.edu> <2510@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> <1990Dec10.170017.26347@midway.uchicago.edu> <10775@helios.TAMU.EDU>
Reply-To: stewartw@cognos.UUCP (Stewart Winter)
Distribution: rec.birds,usa
Organization: Cognos Inc., Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 16

In article <10775@helios.TAMU.EDU> e343gv@tamuts.tamu.edu (Gary Varner) writes:
>themselves in order to get vitamin D.  The sunning stimulates an oil
>gland at the base of the tail, exposure to the sun produces vitamin
>D in the oil (much as exposure of our skin to the sun produces vitamin
>D from pro-vitamin D), and the vulture ingests the vitamin D when it
>subsequently preens itself.

    I believe that the sun converts the vitamin D into vitamin D3 which
is what birds require.

  Stewart
-- 
Stewart Winter                Cognos Incorporated   S-mail: P.O. Box 9707
VOICE: (613) 738-1338 x3830   FAX: (613) 738-0002           3755 Riverside Drive
UUCP: uunet!cognos!stewartw                                 Ottawa, Ontario
The bird of the day is .... Meyer's Parrot                  CANADA  K1G 3Z4