American Black Vulture
A common
New World vulture, the American Black Vulture, or Black Vulture,
Coragyps atratus, tends to have a more southerly distribution than its compatriot, the
Turkey Vulture, which breeds well into
Canada.
Despite the similar name and appearance, this species is unrelated to
Eurasian Black Vulture. The latter species is an Old World vulture in the family
Accipitridae , whereas the American species is a
New World vulture in the family Cathartidae. It is the only extant member of the genus
Coragyps.
These are very large
birds of prey at 65cm length and with a 1.5m wingspan.
Encyclopedia
A common
New World vulture, the
American Black Vulture, or
Black Vulture,
Coragyps atratus, tends to have a more southerly distribution than its compatriot, the
Turkey Vulture, which breeds well into
Canada.
Despite the similar name and appearance, this species is unrelated to
Eurasian Black Vulture. The latter species is an Old World vulture in the family
Accipitridae , whereas the American species is a
New World vulture in the family Cathartidae. It is the only extant member of the genus
Coragyps.
These are very large
birds of prey at 65cm length and with a 1.5m wingspan. Their plumage is mainly glossy black; they have broad wings with white tips, a short tail and a featherless greyish head. In comparison with the
Turkey Vulture, the Black Vulture flaps its wings more frequently during flight.
These birds are found in open regions in the southeastern
United States,
Mexico,
Central America and
South America. They are usually permanent residents.
They eat mainly carrion, but also eggs and decomposing plant material. They may scavenge at garbage dumps and sometimes kill young animals. These birds on occasion forage in groups. They soar high when searching for food, holding their wings flat when gliding.
The female lays 2 or 3 eggs on the ground in a wooded area or in a hollow log or other cavity. Both parents incubate and feed the young, regurgitating food at the nest site.
Though not having any natural predators, they have become scarce in some areas due to lack of suitable nesting habitat. They are known to regurgitate when approached or disturbed, which in birds, besides being a sign of nervousness, assists in predator deterrence and taking flight .
In Canada, Mexico and the United States, this species receives special legal protections as covered under the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918.
During the Late Pleistocene a larger Black Vulture,
Coragyps occidentalis, occurred all over southwestern North America at least. This bird did not differ much from the Black Vulture of today except by somewhat larger size, filled the same ecological niche as the living form , and indeed seems to have evolved into it by becoming smaller during the
last ice age. Well documented from
fossil bones, the genus
Coragyps gives a rare glimpse in the evolutionary dynamics of two chronospecies.
See also
References
Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Hertel, Fritz : Ecomorphological indicators of feeding behavior in Recent and fossil raptors. Auk 112: 890-903.
External links
