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A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion.There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). [2] Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and South America and consist of seven identified species, all belonging to the Cathartidae family.
The cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), also known as the black vulture, Eurasian black vulture, and monk vulture, is a very large raptor in the family Accipitridae distributed through much of temperate Eurasia.
Many of the largest flying birds in the fossil record may have been members of the Ciconiiformes. The heaviest flying bird ever, Argentavis magnificens, is part of a group, the teratorns, that is considered an ally of the New World vultures. [86] The largest ibis is the giant ibis (Thaumatibis gigantea). Adults can grow to 102–106 cm (40–42 ...
The turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) is the most widespread of the New World vultures. [2] One of three species in the genus Cathartes of the family Cathartidae, the turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America. It inhabits a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands ...
The world's 23 vulture species, including turkey vultures, black vultures and California condors (which are endangered) here in the U.S., have sharp vision to help them spot carrion from high above.
The black vulture locates food either by sight or by following New World vultures of the genus Cathartes to carcasses. [54] These vultures—the turkey vulture, the lesser yellow-headed vulture, and the greater yellow-headed vulture—forage by detecting the scent of ethyl mercaptan, a gas produced by the beginnings of decay in dead animals. [55]
In 2000, a vulture took up residence on the Channel Island of Guernsey. [10] Griffon vulture beside a white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), showing the difference in size and coloration between the two species. In Cyprus, there was a colony of fewer than 30 Eurasian griffon vultures at Episkopi, in the south of the island in 2006. [11]
The king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae.