Black vulture
Black vulture | |
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C. a. brasiliensis Peten, Guatemala | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Cathartiformes |
Family: | Cathartidae |
Genus: | Coragyps |
Species: | C. atratus
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Binomial name | |
Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793)
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Subspecies | |
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Approximate range of the black vulture (note: range throughout the West Indies is erroneous)[image reference needed] | |
Synonyms | |
Vultur atratus Bechstein, 1793 |
The black vulture (Coragyps atratus), also known as the American black vulture, Mexican vulture, zopilote, urubu, or gallinazo, is a
With a wingspan of 1.5 m (4.9 ft), the black vulture is an imposing bird, though relatively small for a vulture, let alone a raptor. It has black plumage, a featherless, grayish-black head and neck, and a short, hooked beak. These features are all evolutionary adaptations to life as a scavenger; their black plumage stays visibly cleaner than that of a lighter-colored bird, the bare head is designed for easily digging inside animal carcasses, and the hooked beak is built for stripping the bodies clean of meat. The absence of head-feathers helps the birds stay clean and remain (more or less) free of animal blood and bodily fluids, which could become problematic for the vultures and attract parasites; most vultures are known to bathe after eating, provided there is a water source.[2] This water source can be natural or man-made, such as a stream or a livestock water tank.
The black vulture is a scavenger and feeds on
Taxonomy
The American naturalist William Bartram wrote of the black vulture in his 1791 book Bartram's Travels, calling it Vultur atratus "black vulture" or "carrion crow".[3] Bartram's work has been rejected for nomenclatoríal purposes by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature as the author did not consistently use the system of binomial nomenclature.[4] The German ornithologist Johann Matthäus Bechstein formally described the species using the same name in 1793 in his translation of John Latham's A General Synopsis of Birds.[5][6] The common name "vulture" is derived from the Latin word vulturus, which means "tearer" and is a reference to its feeding habits.[7] The species name, ātrātus, means "clothed in black", from the Latin āter 'dull black'.[8]
Vieillot defined the genus Catharista in 1816, listing as its type C. urubu.[9] French naturalist Emmanuel Le Maout placed in its current genus Coragyps (as C. urubu) in 1853.[10] Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire has been listed as the author in the past, but he did not publish any official description.[11] The genus name means "raven-vulture",[12] from a contraction of the Greek corax/κόραξ and gyps/γὺψ for the respective birds.[13]
The
The black vulture is basal (the earliest offshoot) to a lineage that gave rise to the turkey and greater and lesser yellow-headed vultures, diverging around 12 million years ago.[16]
"Black vulture" has been designated the official name by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC).[19] "American black vulture" is also commonly used,[18] and in 2007 the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society unsuccessfully proposed it to be the official name of the species.[20]
Evolutionary history of Coragyps
From the
Fossil (or subfossil) black vultures cannot necessarily be attributed to the Pleistocene or the recent species without further information: the same size variation found in the living bird was also present in its larger prehistoric relative. Thus, in 1968,
An additional fossil species from the Late Pleistocene of Cuba, C. seductus, was described in 2020.[29]
Description
The black vulture is a fairly large scavenger, measuring 56–74 cm (22–29 in) in length, with a 1.33–1.67 m (52–66 in) wingspan.[30] Weight for black vultures from North America and the Andes ranges from 1.6 to 3 kg (3.5 to 6.6 lb) but in the smaller vultures of the tropical lowlands it is 1.18–1.94 kg (2.6–4.3 lb).[31][32] 50 vultures in Texas were found to average 2.15 kg (4.7 lb) while 119 birds in Venezuela were found to average 1.64 kg (3.6 lb).[33] The extended wing bone measures 38.6–45 cm (15.2–17.7 in), the shortish tail measures 16–21 cm (6.3–8.3 in) and the relatively long tarsus measures 7–8.5 cm (2.8–3.3 in).[32] Its plumage is mainly glossy black. The head and neck are featherless and the skin is dark gray and wrinkled.[34] The iris of the eye is brown and has a single incomplete row of eyelashes on the upper lid and two rows on the lower lid.[35] The legs are grayish white,[36] while the two front toes of the foot are long and have small webs at their bases.[37]
The nostrils are not divided by a septum, but rather are perforate; from the side one can see through the beak.[38] The wings are broad but relatively short. The bases of the primary feathers are white, producing a white patch on the underside of the wing's edge, which is visible in flight. The tail is short and square, barely reaching past the edge of the folded wings.[34]
A
Distribution and habitat
The black vulture has a
Ecology and behavior
The black vulture soars high while searching for food, holding its wings horizontally when gliding. It flaps in short bursts which are followed by short periods of gliding.
Like the turkey vulture, this vulture is often seen standing in a spread-winged stance.[34] The stance is believed to serve multiple functions: drying the wings, warming the body, and baking off bacteria. This same behavior is displayed by other New World vultures, Old World vultures, and storks.[48]
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Adult and juvenile, Hueston Woods State Park, Ohio
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C. a. brasiliensis
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C. a. brasiliensis, Copan, Honduras
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A pair from Panama, inSoberania National Park
Breeding
The timing of black vultures' breeding season varies with the latitude at which they live. In the United States, birds in Florida begin breeding as early as January, for example, while those in Ohio generally do not start before March.[32] In South America, Argentinian and Chilean birds begin egg-laying as early as September, while those further north on the continent typically wait until October. Some in South America breed even later than that—black vultures in Trinidad typically do not start until November, for example, and those in Ecuador may wait until February.[32] Pairs are formed following a courtship ritual which is performed on the ground: several males circle a female with their wings partially open as they strut and bob their heads.[34] They sometimes perform courtship flights, diving or chasing each other over their chosen nest site.[32]
The black vulture lays its eggs on the ground in a wooded area, a hollow log, or some other cavity, seldom more than 3 m (10 ft) above the ground.
Feeding
In natural settings, the black vulture eats mainly carrion.[49] In areas populated by humans, it may scavenge at garbage dumps for refuse, offal and other discarded edible waste, but also takes eggs, fruit (both ripe and rotting), fish, dung and ripe/decomposing plant material and can kill or injure newborn or incapacitated mammals.[52][53] Like other vultures, it plays an important role in the ecosystem by disposing of carrion which would otherwise be a breeding ground for disease.[54] 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] Their heightened ability to detect odors allows them to search for carrion below the forest canopy.[48] The black vulture is aggressive when feeding, and may chase the slightly larger turkey vulture from carcasses.[49]
The black vulture also occasionally feeds on livestock or deer. It is the only species of New World vulture which preys on cattle. It occasionally harasses cows which are giving birth, but primarily preys on newborn calves, as well as lambs and piglets.[56][32] In its first few weeks, a calf will allow vultures to approach it. The vultures swarm the calf in a group, then peck at the calf's eyes, or at the nose or the tongue. The calf then goes into shock and is killed by the vultures.[57]
Black vultures have sometimes been observed removing and eating ticks from resting capybaras and Baird's tapir (Tapirus bairdii).[58][59] These vultures are known to kill baby herons and seabirds on nesting colonies, and feed on domestic ducks, small birds, skunks, opossums, other small mammals, lizards, small snakes, young turtles and insects.[60][32] Like other birds with scavenging habits, the black vulture presents resistance to pathogenic microorganisms and their toxins. Many mechanisms may explain this resistance. Anti-microbial agents may be secreted by the liver or gastric epithelium, or produced by microorganisms of the normal microbiota of the species.[61]
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Feeding on a wood stork
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A flock on a horse carcass
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Six vultures on a wild hog carcass in Florida
Legal protections
It receives special legal protections under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 in the United States,[62] by the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds in Canada,[63] and by the Convention for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Game Mammals in Mexico.[63] In the United States it is illegal to take, kill, or possess black vultures without a permit and violation of the law is punishable by a fine of up to US$15,000 and imprisonment of up to six months.[64] It is listed as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List. Populations appear to remain stable, and it has not reached the threshold of inclusion as a threatened species, which requires a decline of more than 30% in ten years or three generations.[1]
Relationship with humans
The black vulture is considered a threat by cattle ranchers due to its predation on newborn cattle.[65] The droppings produced by black vultures can harm or kill trees and other vegetation.[66] As a defense, the vultures also “regurgitate a reeking and corrosive vomit."[67]
The bird can be a threat to the safety of aerial traffic, especially when it congregates in large numbers in the vicinity of garbage dumps
The black vulture can be held in captivity, though the Migratory Bird Treaty Act only allows this in the case of animals which are injured or unable to return to the wild.[64]
In popular culture
The black vulture appears in a variety of
Black vultures are an important cultural symbol in Lima, Peru.[71][72]
This vulture has appeared on two stamps: those of Suriname in 1990 and Nicaragua in 1994.[73]
It is the mascot of the Brazilian soccer team
References
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- International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature. pp. 211–224.
- Nürnberg: A.C. Schneider and Weigel. p. 655, Note.
- ^ Mayr, Ernst; Cottrell, G. William, eds. (1979). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 275.
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- ^ Vieillot, Louis-Pierre (1816). Analyse d'une nouvelle ornithologie élémentaire (in French). Deterville. pp. 21–22.
- ^ Le Maout, Emmanuel (1853), Histoire naturelle des oiseaux : suivant la classification de M. Isidore Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire; avec l'indication de leurs mœurs et de leurs rapports avec les arts, le commerce et l'agriculture, L. Curmer, p. 66
- ^ Gregory, Steven M. S. (1998). "The correct citation of Coragyps (Cathartinae) and Ardeotis (Otididae)". Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club. 118: 126–27.
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External links
- Citizen science observations for Black vulture at iNaturalist
- "American black vulture media". Internet Bird Collection.
- Black vulture photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Photography showing the skeletal structure of the black vulture
- Live Streaming 24/7 Video of 2013 Nesting Pair of black vultures