Greater and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture ID tips? (1 Viewer)

[Jacamar]

What is the best way to identify Yellow-headed Vultures? I know that Lessers are supposed to have more two-toned wings, but this would be difficult to judge unless I saw them side by side.

 

[Edward woodwood]

Hi Chris

Lesser is a bit darker on underwing with less contrast, has white primary shafts and is not as long-tailed...

I haven't seen Greater yet so don't know how easy this is to do in the field

I'm sure Rasmus will be able to input something valuable

Tim

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

A few good pointers on the Lesser were given in the previous post. The Greater has the same white primary shafts, easily visible in both species from above and a good feature for separating Lesser from Turkey. Compared to Turkey the Lesser usually has a slightly more unsteady flight, tilting more from side to side. From a distance (even though it should be noted Lesser only rarely fly high, unlike the Turkey) I actually find it far easier to separate Greater from Lesser or Turkey, than I find separating Lesser from Turkey. Greater is larger, has broader wings and appear heavier overall than both the Lesser and the Turkey. It's flight is more steady and the wings are held flat or only slightly tilted upwards (compared to the distinctly upward tilted wings in both Lesser and Turkey). Also, in flight Greater generally appear darker (less contrast between flight-feathers and remaining wing) and has a dark patch on the inner primaries resulting in a slight, but still evident contrast when seen from below (i.e. pale secondaries, darker inner primaries, pale outer primaries). When seen perched size is useful. Likewise are the colours of the head and the wing versus tail length. When perched the wings of Lesser extent well beyond the tip of the tail, while the tail and the wings appear more or less the same lenght in Greater. The head of the Greater often (but not always) appear mainly yellow, with the relatively limited amount of red and blue being confined to the lores, crown, nape and neck. For comparison Lesser often only has a yellow patch on the cheeks, with the remaining appearing red or blue. However, as some Greater have less yellow (thus making confusion with Lesser more likely), the best feature is the colour of the forecrown (basically the upperside of the head from the eyes to the bill, usually visible from the side, too). The forecrown always is yellow to blue in Greater, while it always is red to blue in Lesser. Finally, habitat is a good indication. Greater is rarely seen away from forest, while Lesser prefer rather open areas. So, in short:

Greater compared to Lesser: Larger, relatively steady flight, wings held flat or only slightly above horizontal, broader wings, overall darker, pale secondaries & outer primaries contrast slightly with darker inner primaries, yellow to blue forecrown, wing doesn't extent significanly beyond the tail when perched, found in forested areas.

In other words; the two Yellow-headed are actually not that hard to separate. The main problem has been that even recent guides often have failed to mention several of the above features. Lesser Yellow-headed versus Turkey are far more problematic, but note (as mentioned earlier) that the Lesser has white shafts on the primaries clearly visible from above, a shorter tail, usually tilt more from side to side and only infrequently fly high. The colour of the head is (obviously) useful when seen well enough.

 

[Jacamar]

Thanks Tim and Rasmus. I hope to find this info helpful in a couple weeks.

I have a question. My field guide says about the Lesser: "White shafts of base of primaries show in flight as a distinct white patch on underside of wing". You didn't mention this. Where is this patch? I don't really understand what they mean by saying that.
Thanks.

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

The white quils of the primaries can be seen from above in both species of Yellow-headed, but are usually far less distinct from below. Thus, under normal circumstances I'd only to use it from above. Chris, what fieldguide do you use? If it is mentioned as a feature useful specifically from below it's a typo. Found a rather small photo of a Lesser that clearly show it - see the primaries on the most distant wing. BTW, this photo also show the distinctly upward tilted wings (as in Turkey, but unlike Greater YH):

http://www.petespruance.com/BirdPics/Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture.jpg

 

[Edward woodwood]

Hi Rasmus

thanks for that

I had no idea that both species could sho those shafts - it's not in the books!

what would we do without you? It's great to have such expertise on BF

Hope you are around for my Neotropical trip to Peru/Ecuador next summer. I will certainly be picking your brains

atb
Tim

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

Hi Rasmus

thanks for that

I had no idea that both species could sho those shafts - it's not in the books!

what would we do without you? It's great to have such expertise on BF

Hope you are around for my Neotropical trip to Peru/Ecuador next summer. I will certainly be picking your brains

atb
Tim

Tim, thanks for that - although it would be unfair if I took the "honours" for this specific feature as it is mentioned in at least three fieldguides I know: the good ol' "Birds of Colombia" by Hilty & Brown, "Birds of Venezuela" by Hilty and "Birds of Ecuador" by Ridgely & Greenfield (although that book only deals with the Greater). Anyway, I'm really looking forward to visiting South America again and have even come to the point where I'm feeling almost like a small child counting the days till Christmas!!!

 

[Jacamar]

Now, back on topic.

Today I saw a vulture that has me confused. It was a Yellow-headed (yellow head and very distinct white quills) flying near my house (which, by the way is miles away from anything that you could call forest). It had a whitish patch on the secondaries underneath and a dark patch on the inner primaries, like what the Greater should look like. I couldn't see it well enough to tell what colors were on the head except that it wasn't red. I have not studied vultures closely enough to tell if how it was holding its wings was flat or tilted.
Does these whitish seconaries indicate a Greater? I don't think it could be because of habitat.
Any thoughts?

I'm really looking forward to visiting South America again

Would you by any chance be visiting Guyana?

 

[Edward woodwood]

Hi Rasmus

I knew i should have checked Hilty's Colombia!

that's my fave ever field guide

I have the Ecuador guide but was saving it for next summer... if i look at it now i will never survive the anticipation...

atb
Tim

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

Chris, no Guyana this time, but hopefully sometime in the future (there's too many places I'd like to visit!). This time is Ecuador and N. Peru (again, again).

To the vulture: Habitat strongly suggest Lesser YH, but a stray Greater could occur. The pale secondaries don't indicate Greater, as all three Cathartes have relatively pale secondaries and outer primaries. These contrast with the black underwing coverts. The contrast between the black underwing coverts and the paler remiges (= flight feathers, i.e. primaries and secondaries) is greatest in Turkey, marginally less in Lesser YH and even less in Greater YH (thus it appear darker overall, as mentioned previously). The real hint is those inner primaries. They are pale in both Turkey and Lesser YH (i.e. concolour with the outer primaries and the secondaries), while they are marginally darker in the Greater YH (thus contrasting slightly with the paler outer primaries and the secondaries). Hence, the fact that the bird you saw today seemed to have darker inner primaries could indicate Greater YH, but I would be very hesitant to call it that unless better views are attained - especially given that the habitat would be unusual for this species. *Note that above info relate to the wing when seen from below.

 

[Jacamar]

Thanks Rasmus. I'll have to read that over a few times and digest it.

Chris, no Guyana this time, but hopefully sometime in the future (there's too many places I'd like to visit!). This time is Ecuador and N. Peru (again, again).

I don't blame you! If I was going to visit S. America, I would certainly choose one of those places over Guyana.

 

[Jacamar]

Are these the inner primaries? I'm pretty sure they are, but I don't want to make a wrong assumption.

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

Are these the inner primaries? I'm pretty sure they are, but I don't want to make a wrong assumption.

you're right - as long as you remember that the dark patch of the Greater YH is on the underside of the inner primaries, while the drawing you attached show the wing from above.

 

[Dave B Smith]

Jacamar,
Rasmus and Tim have done a good job in defining the differences. I'll add a few recollections that might also help some.

As Rasmus mentioned, the Lesser YHV and the Turkey vulture are hard to separate at a distance. They also often hang out together so you have to pick through every group that you see (perched or at low elevations) looking for that Yellow head. I've only seen about a half dozen LYHV and they were all either perched roadside, feeding on road(kill), or flying very low. They actually quarter a field sometimes like a Harrier.

The Greater YHV is much larger than the other two. I've only seen one and he landed so close to us he seemed larger yet! Habitat, size, and wing projection are probably the easiest differences to separate them on. Here's a photo of the one we saw in Paria. Unfortunately he was backlit so the colors don't show as clearly.

 

[Jacamar]

Thanks Dave! That's a big help.

How often can Greater and Lesser be found together in the same group? It would be helpful to see them side-by-side.

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

How often can Greater and Lesser be found together in the same group? It would be helpful to see them side-by-side.

Never say never, but it would be a rare occurence. There are areas where they both occur, but even in such areas they will normally be segregated by habitat. Also, neither of the Yellow-headed are too happy about flying in flocks (from my experiance they usually fly singly or in pairs, only rarely in small groups), while they will gather in groups at their night-time roost or for a mid day nap - and they are even less likely to be found in the same locality in that situation. If you remember to take notice in shape (esp. broadness of wings), ways of holding the wings and manner of flight in Turkey and LYH (both of which are likely to be relatively common near where you live), the first GYH you see will appear strikingly obvious to you. BTW, do make sure to take notes if you ever should stumple upon a nest: While LYH and GYH are fairly widespread and common at localities, their nesting behavior is virtually unknown. As far as I know, no nest has ever been found in the GYH, while very few have been found in the LYH.

 

[Jacamar]

Thanks Rasmus. This should help me a lot, especially when I visit Emerald Tower in about a week. I often see Yellow-headed Vultures there, but this time I will be prepared to identify them.

I don't quite get this one thing you said in your original post.

The forecrown always is yellow to blue in Greater, while it always is red to blue in Lesser.

Does this mean that, for example, the color of the Greater's forecrown can range from yellow to blue, or that both colors are found on an individual's forecrown?

 

[Rasmus Boegh]

It ment what I wrote; it can be yellow to blue in Greater and red to blue in Lesser. To be a bit more specific: Usually, the forecrown of the Greater is yellow, but it sometimes include a bit blue and rarely it can appear virtually all blue. The forecrown of the Lesser is mainly red, but often with a bit of blue (esp. near the eyes). Rarely, the forecrown of the Lesser can appear virtually all blue. Thus, if you should see an individual with an all blue forecrown it could be either species, but that would be an unusual sighting. That gave me chance for playing with the colours...

 

[Jacamar]

Thanks so much, Rasmus. I think I should be able to identify them now.

 

[Jacamar]

I just noticed that earlier on you asked me what fieldguide I use. It is Birds of Venezuela by Schauensee and Phelps (Ninth printing, 1995).