Could vultures help fight invasive pythons? Study documents rare attack

Vultures raiding a Burmese python nest in Broward County might sound like classic Florida weirdness, but University of Florida researchers said the discovery marks the first documented case of native birds preying on python eggs — a finding that could offer new clues in the fight against the invasive species. According to a study published in February in the journal Reptiles & Amphibians and first reported by The Miami Herald , researchers found vultures feeding on a Burmese python nest in the Florida Everglades. The nest was first discovered on May 5, 2023, in the Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area , a vast protected wetland within the greater Everglades ecosystem. Researchers said the nest belonged to a tagged female python and was concealed beneath a thick layer of grass. When researchers returned to the site about a month later, on June 6, they found at least four vultures actively feeding on the eggs. The birds flew away before they could be positively identified, but both Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures are common in South Florida and had previously been observed in the area, according to the study. A Turkey Vulture populates the Sebastian Inlet State Park on Nov. 19, 2025 in Melbourne Beach, Florida. The warmer climate found in the southern United States provides a welcome habitat for a wide assortment of aquatic birds and other wildlife. Bruce Bennett / Getty Images The nest had been heavily disturbed, researchers noticed. …