The vultures swarm the calf in a group, then peck at the calf's eyes, or at the nose or the tongue. They are small vultures, as their wingspan is less when compared to other vultures. This species of Vulture lives in the shrubs, and the forests. It is usually seen soaring or perched on fence posts or dead trees. [22] The southern birds were of the same size as present-day northern black vultures and can only be distinguished by their somewhat stouter tarsometatarsus and the flatter and wider bills, and even then only with any certainty if the location where the fossils were found is known. It has black plumage, a featherless, grayish-black head and neck, and a short, hooked beak. 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. Male: 2-3 pounds . It has a maximum wingspan of 3.3 m (10 ft 10 in) … American naturalist William Bartram wrote of the black vulture in his 1792 book Bartram's Travels, calling it Vultur atratus "black vulture" or "carrion crow". [38] In South America, its range stretches to Peru, central Chile and Uruguay. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. The head and neck are featherless and the skin is dark gray and wrinkled. [16], From the Early to the Late Pleistocene, a prehistoric species of black vulture, Coragyps occidentalis, known as the Pleistocene black vulture or—somewhat in error—the "western black vulture", occurred across the present species' range. They have a bald head, and are usually black in color. The tail is short and square, barely reaching past the edge of the folded wings. Since then, the Black Vulture has become a fairly common breeder near Hawk Mountain. They are one of the New World Vultures. They are usually 55-68 cm in length, and they weigh between 2.5-4.5 lbs. Both Sexes; Length: 19.3-22.8 in (49-58 cm) Weight: 37.0-45.9 oz (1050-1300 g) Wingspan: 48.0-49.2 in (122-125 cm) [46], 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. [3] The species name, ātrātus, means "clothed in black," from the Latin āter 'dull black'. The incubation of the eggs is performed solely by the female, and only one brood is raised in a year. [43] The black vulture generally forages in groups; a flock of black vultures can easily drive a rival turkey vulture, which is generally solitary while foraging, from a carcass. However, various eagles may kill vultures in conflicts and even the ornate hawk-eagle, a slightly smaller bird than the vulture, has preyed on adult black vultures. With a wingspan of 1.5 m (4.9 ft), the black vulture is a large bird though relatively small for a vulture. [9], The American Ornithologists' Union used the name Catharista atrata initially, before adopting Veillot's name (Catharista urubu) in their third edition. [58] The droppings produced by black vultures can harm or kill trees and other vegetation. They are fed by regurgitation, almost in the same manner as pigeons, and are abundantly supplied with food. [5] French naturalist Emmanuel Le Maout placed in its current genus Coragyps (as C. urubu) in 1853. [43] In comparison with the turkey vulture, the black vulture flaps its wings more frequently during flight. Despite the similar name and appearance, this species is unrelated to the Eurasian black vulture, an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae (which includes eagles, hawks, kites, and harriers). [2] German ornithologist Johann Matthäus Bechstein formally described it using this name in 1793. With sooty black plumage, a bare black head, and neat white stars under the wingtips, Black Vultures are almost dapper. 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