Black Vulture
Black Vulture ( Coragyps atratus brasiliensis)
The Black Vulture ( Coragyps atratus ) is one in North, Central and South America widely used type of New World vultures.
Features
The black vulture has a body length from 56 to 74 centimeters, a wingspan of 133-160 cm and is 1.1 to 1.9 kg. Its plumage is glossy black, head and neck are naked. He 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 beak is off-white, the shoulders and the back greenish shine, the skin of the head is gray and wrinkled. The outermost five primaries are bright on the bottom
In young birds the beak is uniformly gray, the plumage does not shine. The skin of the head is black and slightly wrinkled.
Habitat and Distribution
The black vulture lives in open and forested landscapes or places to a height of 2700 meters. He comes in the western U.S., before the bulk of Mexico except Baja California, Central America except the Caribbean and in South America with the exception of the South and much of the west coast.
Subspecies
Three subspecies have been described, which differ in size according to Bergmann's rule, so in colder climates are larger.
- C. a atratus ( Bechstein, 1793), the North American Black Vulture is the nominate form.
- C. a brasiliensis ( Bonaparte, 1850), the South American Black Vulture is smaller and the bottom of the outer primaries is lighter than in C. a atratus. It is found in Central and northern and eastern South America.
- C. a foetens (Lichtenstein, 1817), the Andean Black Vulture is about the size of a C. atratus, the bright underside of the outer primaries is only hinted at. He comes from Ecuador to Chile and Argentina before.
Behavior and food
Due to its rather short and broad wings of the black vulture flies less majestic than other New World vultures. Fluttering flight alternates with short gliding phases. The Black Vulture is gregarious and feeds primarily on carrion, but does on occasion even prey. As waste eater he is widely appreciated as a beneficial insect, but seen by ranchers as pest, as it sometimes captures newborn livestock.
Reproduction
The propagation time of the Raven vulture varies with the latitude. The usually two eggs are laid primarily on the ground, with no nests are built. Both parents incubate the eggs. After hatching after 28 to 41 days, the nestlings are covered with down. The chicks are altricial. They remain in the nest for about two months.