Black Vulture

Black Vulture

American Black vulture

Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Accipitriformes
Family
Cathartidae
Genus
Coragyps
SPECIES
Coragyps atratus
Population size
20 Mln
Life Span
10-25.6 yrs
TOP SPEED
55 km/h
WEIGHT
1.6-2.7 kg
LENGTH
56-74 cm
WINGSPAN
1.3-1.7 m

Black vultures are amongst the most abundant vultures of the New World, and out of all the members in the Cathartidae family, have the most varied diet. These birds have featherless black to dark gray heads and necks. When perched they appear black overall, however near the wingtips are conspicuous white patches that are clearly visible when they are flying. These are highly social birds that demonstrate fierce family loyalty. They will share food with their relatives, feeding their young for months after fledging. Their lifespan is 10 years on average, and the longest banded individual has lived up to 25.6 years.

Di

Diurnal

Ca

Carnivore

Te

Terrestrial

So

Soaring birds

Mi

Migratory

Se

Sedentary

Mo

Monogamy

So

Social

Fl

Flocking

Distibution

Black vultures live in tropical and temperate zones from southern Canada to the south of South America, including continental parts of the U.S. In the north of their range they migrate south in the fall, returning in spring. They prefer an open habitat, avoiding dense forests where they can, such habitats including lowlands with adjacent highlands, desert terrain, open fields, rubbish dumps, and rural or urban centers.

Black Vulture habitat map

Geography

Continents
South America, North America
Countries
Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Show More Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Show Less

Biome

Montane grasslands and shrublands
Desert and Xeric Shrublands
Tropical savanna
Temperate grasslands
Tropical dry forest
Tropical moist forests
Tropical coniferous forests

Climate zones

Tropical
Dry\Desert
Temperate
IMG_1667.jpg

Habits and Lifestyle

Black vultures have a quick labored flight which consists of several flaps of the wings then a short glide. They hunt by sight, not smell, usually late in the day and soaring high, riding thermals upwards, only flapping their wings now and again. They are more aggressive than the other scavengers on arrival at an animal carcass and so effectively drive other animals off, especially Turkey vultures. Usually vultures are silent, though they may hiss, grunt, and make low barking sounds while fighting over food. These birds are very social, forming flocks for foraging and roosting in large numbers, and forming family units with their immediate kin and extended family. When startled, a Black vulture will regurgitate just eaten food so that it can take off to fly.

Group name
venue, kettle, wake
Lifestyle
Terrestrial, Soaring birds, Migratory, Sedentary

Diet and Nutrition

Black vultures are carnivores and mainly scavengers, eating the carcasses of large animals, and sometimes small dead mammals. They also kill baby herons in nesting colonies, and eat domestic ducks, newborn calves, small birds and mammals, eggs, opossums, skunks, ripe or rotten vegetables or fruit and young turtles.

Diet Carnivore
Vulture 1

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
Monogamy
REPRODUCTION SEASON
southern range: starts in January, northern range: March-June
INCUBATION PERIOD
38-45 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
8 months
BABY NAME
chick
BABY CARRYING
2 eggs

Black vultures are monogamous and pairs mate for life. They engage in aerial courtship displays with circling flight, chasing, and then spiraling down. A pair may also display while together on a perch: they spread their wings and jump into the air while making yapping noises. These birds roost at communal roosts in large numbers. In the southern part of their range breeding may begin as early as January, while breeding in the north is from March to June. A black vulture does not build a nest but uses a natural cavity such as a cave, rock crevice, tree or hollow log. 2 eggs are laid and are incubated by both parents for 38 to 45 days, each taking a turn every day. Both parents feed the chicks by regurgitating liquefied food, until when they are two weeks old, they give them solid food. The chicks fledge when they are 10 to 14 weeks old and depend on their parents for up to 8 months. They then forage in a family group until the following breeding season.

black vulture
Population Trend
Increasing
POPULATION STATUS
Least concern (LC)
ne dd lc nt vu en cr ew ex

Population

Population threats

The main threats to this species include: collision with buildings and vehicles, electrocution, poisoning meant for vermin, illegal shooting, leg traps, and lead poisoning from ingesting pellets and bullet fragments in the carcasses of game animals that are not retrieved by hunters.

Population number

The All About Birds resource records the total Black vulture breeding population as being about 20 million individuals, about 9% of these living in North America and 8% in Mexico. Currently this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and its numbers today are increasing.

Ecological niche

Black vultures play an important role in the environment as ecological sentinels. In addition to removing dead animals, vultures recycle nutrients that are used by plants.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • "Vulture" comes from the Latin “vulturus”, meaning "tearer," a reference to the way this bird eats.
  • This species’ Latin name ‘Coragyps atratus’ translates roughly into "raven-vulture clothed in black as in mourning", which refers to the color of its feathers.
  • Black vulture chicks are fed by their parents up to 20 times a day.
  • Black vultures lack a syrinx, which is a bird’s vocal organ, so can only make grunts and low hisses.
  • Sometimes vultures are called “buzzards,” but this word usually refers to hawks or Old World buteos.
  • At night, Black vultures often roost in the same tree. Sometimes these communal roosts contain hundreds of birds.
  • Black vultures conserve energy during the night by reducing their body temperature. When morning comes, they warm up by spreading their wings in the sun.
  • The nostrils of a Black vulture do not have a septum to divide them, but instead are perforate; you can see through their beak from the side.
  • Black vultures are often seen standing with their wings spread. This stance is thought to serve several functions: warming the body, drying the wings, and baking off bacteria.

References

1. Black Vulture Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_vulture
2. Black Vulture on The IUCN Red List site - http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22697624/0

Related Animals

Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Griffon Vulture
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Himalayan Vulture
Gyps himalayensis
King Vulture
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Rüppell's Vulture
Gyps rueppelli
White-Backed Vulture
Gyps africanus
California Condor
Gymnogyps californianus
Golden Eagle
Aquila chrysaetos

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