vulture

vulture
    n 1: any of various large diurnal birds of prey having naked
         heads and weak claws and feeding chiefly on carrion
    2: someone who attacks in search of booty [syn: {marauder},
       {predator}, {vulture}, {piranha}]
    

Vulture \Vul"ture\ (?; 135), n. [OE. vultur, L. vultur: cf. OF.
   voltour, F. vautour.] (Zool.)
   Any one of numerous species of rapacious birds belonging to
   {Vultur}, {Cathartes}, {Catharista}, and various other genera
   of the family {Vulturidae}.
   [1913 Webster]

   Note: In most of the species the head and neck are naked or
         nearly so. They feed chiefly on carrion. The condor,
         king vulture, turkey buzzard, and black vulture
         ({Catharista atrata}) are well known American species.
         The griffin, lammergeir, and Pharaoh's chicken, or
         Egyptian vulture, are common Old World vultures.
         [1913 Webster]
    

Vulture
(1.) Heb. da'ah (Lev. 11:14). In the parallel passage (Deut.
14:13) the Hebrew word used is _ra'ah_, rendered "glede;" LXX.,
"gups;" Vulg., "milvus." A species of ravenous bird,
distinguished for its rapid flight. "When used without the
epithet 'red,' the name is commonly confined to the black kite.
The habits of the bird bear out the allusion in Isa. 34:15, for
it is, excepting during the winter three months, so numerous
everywhere in Palestine as to be almost gregarious." (See {EAGLE}.)

  (2.) In Job 28:7 the Heb. 'ayyah is thus rendered. The word
denotes a clamorous and a keen-sighted bird of prey. In Lev.
11:14 and Deut. 14:13 it is rendered "kite" (q.v.).
    

19 Moby Thesaurus words for "vulture":
      blackmailer, bloodsucker, extortionist, filch, harpy, heist, hook,
      leech, lift, pinch, predator, profiteer, racketeer, raptor,
      shakedown artist, shark, snitch, swipe, vampire