- Cathartes melambrotus
Identification
64–76 cm (25-30 in)
- Bright yellow bare head skin
- Black plumage
Similar Species
There can be difficulty in separating Greater Yellow-headed from Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture but, when perched, the wingtips of lessers extend way beyond the tail tip, and in flight have very narrow, long wings with high contrast between coverts and flight feathers. Greater YHV flies on flat wings.
For discussion on separating this species from Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture see reference[1].
Distribution
South America: found in Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru.
Taxonomy
This is a monotypic species[2].
Habitat
Mostly in forest.
Behaviour
Usually flies low over canopy to find food using its sense of smell. May at times be seen soaring very high above the forest.
Diet
Scavenges on dead mammals of the forest, such as monkeys, sloths and opossums.
Breeding
There is very little information available. It is believed that they lay 2 eggs.
References
- Thread discussing identification of the two Yellow-headed Vultures
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Restall et al. 2006. Birds of Northern South America. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300124156
- Erize et al. 2006 Birds of South America, non-passerines. Princeton Illustrated Checklists, Princeton, New Jersey, USA. ISBN 0-691-12688-7
- Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved September 2014 and October 2018)
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Greater Yellow-headed Vulture. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 11 May 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Greater_Yellow-headed_Vulture
