And so’s the Turtle Dove,
But the fairest bird among them all
Is one you’d never love!
She’s the Vulture, oh so graceful,
Watch her gliding high above;
The vulture is the fairest bird,
And she deserves our love!
Chorus:
She’s the Vulture, oh so graceful,
Watch her gliding high above;
The Vulture is the fairest bird,
And she deserves our love!
I call her fair for she never steals,
Or lays eggs in other nests;
She’s never vain or ever rude;
The Vulture’s the perfect guest!
See her feathers, glossy black,
Gray her shy and balding head;
She never strikes to kill her prey,
Dines only on the dead! (CHO)
The Osprey dives to strike her prey;
The Vulture sits and waits;
When other birds have et their fill,
She sidles up to the plate;
She never fusses ‘bout their leavings,
Not one croak of sad protest;
She digs right in with her sharp beak,
Then slugs it down with zest. (CHO)
If there's reward for toil and strife
When comes the final test:
For cleaning up what others leave,
The Vulture is the best;
Hear her sing, though not so soothing
As the cooing Turtle Dove;
The Vulture is the fairest bird
And she deserves our love! (CHO)
"Vulture with Culture," from APE IN A CAPE, by Fritz Eichenberg, ™1952, 1980.