Cinereous vultures are scavengers. Their diet consists mainly of carrion – the remains of dead animals. They have several adaptations for feeding on carrion. The lack of feathers on their head helps them keep from getting messy while eating. Their strong hooked beaks are adapted for tearing chunks of flesh off the carcass. They even have a third eyelid that protects their eyes from blood and flesh. Although a diet of dead animals may sound unappetizing, vultures are actually recycling by utilizing carrion as a food source. They also help clean up the environment and therefore perform an important function as part of nature’s “clean up crew”.