| Black Vulture | |
|---|---|
 adult | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Cathartiformes |
| Family: | Cathartidae |
| Genus: | Coragyps |
| Species: | Coragyps atratus |
Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) are common birds in the southern and eastern states, often seen in large communal roosts in the evening.
Appearance[]
Black Vultures have naked, wrinkled, gray skin on their heads, a short, rounded tail, and black plumage. They have long, grayish legs and feet and a pale bill with a yellowish tip. While flying, they display their silvery white patches around the tips of their broad wings. They are large birds with a body length of 24-27 inches (61-68 centimeters) and a wingspan of 4 1/2 to 5 feet (1.4-1.5 meters) in length. They weigh 3 1/2-5 pounds (1.6-2.2 kilograms).
Occurrence[]
Black Vultures breed in dense woodlands, caves, and old buildings. They form roosts in stands of tall trees and forage in open habitats and near roads and highways. This species is a year-round resident throughout southern and eastern United States and Mexico. It's range is expanding in the northeastern United States. It also occurs as a very widespread bird in South America.
Behavior[]
They are often seen in communal roosts, which are meeting places for the adults and young and possibly serve as information centers. Black Vultures are semi-social, forming loose colonies.
Black Vultures don't make nests, so they lay their eggs directly on the ground in thickets or under stumps, in piles of ricks, and sometimes in old buildings. They will have only one brood with two eggs in each. Their breeding season is from January to August. Pairs will remain together year round and will continue to feed their young for as long as eight months after fledging. They can live up to 26 years.
These vultures generally eat carrion (mostly large mammals) on the ground, but also eats live prey. When they are not feeding on roadkills, they can be seen soaring above the landscape in search of carrion. They are aggressive birds, often displacing Turkey Vultures from carcasses.
Black Vultures flap rapidly then glide on flat wings, sometimes soaring using rising air currents.
They are usually silent with occasional hisses and barks.
Status[]
Black Vultures have a secure (Least Concerned) status.
Gallery[]
Facts[]
- Black Vultures are the most numerous vulture in the West Hemisphere.
- Black Vultures can't smell very well, so they follow Turkey Vultures to carcasses sometimes.
- Black Vultures lack voice boxes.
- The oldest fossils of Black Vultures and their relatives—at least 34 million years old—were found in Europe even though these vultures are currently found on North and South America.
- They are also called Zopilote Negro (in Spanish) and Urubu noir (in French).