All About The King Vulture

Vultures creep some people out, and it's no
wonder. With their hunched posture, leathery
head, and unappetizing eating habits, vultures
are often seen as harbingers of death and
misfortune. But the large and colorful King
Vulture, which inhabits Central and South
America, is a cut above the rest. It's a carrion
bird, but it's also a vital part of Mayan
mythology and widely admired in zoos all over
the world.

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. Feathers are
entirely absent on the neck and head of the King
Vulture; 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.
Dead cattle, beached fish, or just about
anything else, comprise its diet; 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. Generally a bird that enjoys a
solitary life, the King Condor never migrates.
Ten birds may gather around one carcass to feed,
and mating birds are known to congregate in small
family groups. 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. Some old legends
have the vulture as a king, who was a conveyor
of information between humans and gods. 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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