I took this shot at Rattlesnake Springs in New Mexico. Although it was nearly 10:00 AM on this cloudy day, hundreds of vultures where still roosting in the trees. What were they waiting for?
Answer:
Vultures are very energy conscious, and would much rather glide on rising air currents than actually flap their wings. As a result, they will often spend a cloudy morning sitting in trees, waiting for the sun to come out and produce enough heat to produce thermals, rising columns of air. These give them a free ride to the sky. Vultures are so expert at gliding that they can often fly for hours without flapping their wings.
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