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All About The King Vulture

2016/5/4 10:11:06

We often think of vultures in negative terms. They are ugly, fearsome birds who feed on the dead. With a hunched posture and a shrieking cry, they're the ultimate symbol of death, disease, and impending doom. But the King Vulture might just be the bird to kick this trend.

The King Vulture is one of the New World vultures native to the Americas; it was originally described by Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy. It is the only currently living member of the genus Sarcoramphus, and it's sometimes even put in its own separate subfamily, away from the rest of the New World Vultures. The exact taxonomy of these birds is still unclear; while they are similar in appearance to the Old World vultures, the two groups evolved from different ancestors in very different parts of the world. There are even some scientists who suggest that the New World vultures are more closely related to storks than they are to the European-Asian Old World vultures.

No matter how you classify it, the King Vulture is an impressive sight. It is the largest of the New World vultures, excluding the condors; it has an overall length of 27-32 inches, with a huge wingspan stretching between 4 and 6.6 feet. King Vultures weigh between six and 10 pounds. Most of their plumage is white, with a slight yellow or rose tinge. They have black feathers on their tails, wing coverts, and flight feathers, as well as on their neck ruff. A King Vulture's head and neck are entirely bare of feathers; its wrinkled skin is bright orange on the neck and yellow on the throat. Its head is shaded red and purple, with an irregular golden crest on top of the orange-and-black bill. The lack of feathers is a hygienic adaptation; since the vulture eats dead flesh (carrion), it prevents bacteria from latching onto feathers. They inhabit an impressive range that starts in Southern Mexico and stretches all the way down to Argentina.

The King Vulture has the largest skull and strongest bill of all the New World Vultures. It eats anything from beached fish to dead cattle; while it primarily locates prey by sight, it also follows other vultures to a carcass and then scares them off. The bird's large size makes it intimidating for other vultures, who will usually fly off in search of easier prey; however, the King Vulture will always defer to the larger Andean Condor. The King Vulture mates for life, laying a single egg each season in a tree nest.

With such an impressive wingspan, it's not surprising that the King Vulture can soar for hours, flapping its wings infrequently. It is also adept at making itself inconspicuous when perched in trees. The King Condor does not migrate, and generally lives alone. Mating birds may form small family groups, and up to ten birds may gather around one carcass to feed. They are relatively non-aggressive, despite their size, and lack a voice box--you're unlikely to hear them screeching overhead if you're lost in the desert!

There are two theories on how the word 'King' became part of this vulture's common name. It may refer to the bird's habit of dominating smaller vultures away from a carcass, forcing them to wait while it eats first. And it also has ties to the Mayan civilization; the King Vulture was featured heavily in their codices, where it has its own glyph. In one legend, the vulture was a king who acted as a messenger between gods and humans. The Mayans would also use the King Vulture's blood and feathers to cure diseases. The King Vulture can live for several decades in captivity, and is a popular zoo attraction because of its beautiful colorings and impressive size.

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