Black vulture

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Black vulture
Black vulture (Coragyps atratus brasiliensis)

Black vulture ( Coragyps atratus brasiliensis )

Systematics
Class : Birds (aves)
Order : Birds of prey (Accipitriformes)
Family : New World Vulture (Cathartidae)
Genre : Coragyps
Type : Black vulture
Scientific name of the  genus
Coragyps
Le Maout , 1853
Scientific name of the  species
Coragyps atratus
( Bechstein , 1793)

The black vulture ( Coragyps atratus ) is a species of the New World vulture that is widespread in North , Central and South America .

features

portrait
Distribution area of ​​the black vulture
Black vulture in flight

The black vulture has a body length of 56 to 74 centimeters, a wingspan of 133 to 160 centimeters and is 1.1 to 1.9 kg in weight. Its plumage is glossy black, its head and neck are bare. It has very broad, relatively short wings and a short tail. When standing, the tips of the folded wings extend to the tip of the tail. The legs and beak are gray, the iris dark.

In adult birds, the tip of the beak is ivory in color, the shoulders and back have a greenish sheen, and the skin of the head is gray and wrinkled. The outermost five hand wings are light on the underside.

In young birds, the beak is uniformly gray, the plumage is not shiny. The skin of the head is black and not very wrinkled.

Habitat and Distribution

The black vulture lives in open and wooded landscapes as well as places up to an altitude of 2700 meters. It occurs in the west of the USA , in most of Mexico except Baja California , in Central America except the Caribbean islands and in South America with the exception of the south and large parts of the west coast.

Subspecies

Three subspecies have been described that differ in size according to Bergmann's rule , i.e. larger in colder climates.

  • C. a. brasiliensis ( Bonaparte , 1850), the South American black vulture is smaller and the underside of the outer hand wings is lighter than that of C. a. atratus . It occurs in Central and Northern and Eastern South America.
  • C. a. foetens ( Lichtenstein , 1817), the Andean black vulture is about the same size as C. a. atratus , the light underside of the outer hand wings is only hinted at. It occurs from Ecuador to Chile and Argentina .

Behavior and food

Due to its rather short and broad wings, the black vulture flies less majestically than other New World vultures. Fluttering flight alternates with short gliding phases. The black vulture is sociable and feeds mainly on carrion , but also prey on its own on occasion. As a waste eater, it is widely valued as a beneficial insect, but also seen by cattle breeders as a pest, as it sometimes preyes on newborn cattle.

Reproduction

Egg, Museum Wiesbaden collection
young black vulture

The breeding time of the black vulture varies with the geographical latitude. Most of the two eggs are laid on the ground, with no nests being built. Both parents incubate the clutch. After hatching after 28 to 41 days, the nestlings are covered with down. The young birds are nestlings . They stay in the nest for about two months.

literature

  • J. Ferguson-Lees, DA Christie: Raptors of the World. Princeton University Press / Christopher Helm, London 2005. ISBN 0-691-12684-4
  • Josep del Hoyo et al .: Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: New World Vultures to Guinea Fowl. Lynx Edicions, 1994, ISBN 84-87334-15-6 .

Web links

Commons : Black Vulture ( Coragyps atratus )  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files