WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Ill. (WSIL) — A silent threat is circling overhead and it’s no longer just scavenging.

Across Southern Illinois, farmers are sounding the alarm as black vultures grow in number and in aggression. “Black vultures are much more aggressive" says Tasha Bunting, Director of Commodity Programs & Farm Systems at the Illinois Farm Bureau.

Unlike their red-headed cousins, the turkey vultures, which only feed on carcasses, black vultures are bold, territorial, and known to attack living animals, especially newborn livestock or weakened mothers during birth.

Farmer's have seen attacks on baby calves, lambs, and even piglets.

Once uncommon in Illinois, black vultures are now migrating farther north, with officials noting a marked increase in sightings and damage reports over the

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