Coragyps atratus

• Overview
• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Overview

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Physical Description

Habitat

Vegetation: arid lowland scrubs, second-growth scrub, low seasonally wet grasslands, arid lowland scrubs, arid lowland scrubs, pastures and agricultural lands, river edge and river island forests • Maximum Elevation: 2,800 meters • Foraging Strata: Aerial • Center of Abundance: Lower tropical: lowlands, lower than 500 m.; tropics. • Sensitivity to Disturbance: Low

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 3,787 meters (0 to 12,425 feet).[1]

Ecology: List of Habitats :

•     1    Forest  
  
•     1.4    Forest - Temperate  
  
•     1.6    Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland  
  
•     3    Shrubland  
  
•     3.4    Shrubland - Temperate  
  
•     3.5    Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry  
  
•     4    Grassland  
  
•     4.4    Grassland - Temperate  
  
•     4.6    Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded  
  
•     14    Artificial/Terrestrial  
  
•     14.2    Artificial/Terrestrial - Pastureland  
  
•     14.5    Artificial/Terrestrial - Urban Areas  
  
•     14.6    Artificial/Terrestrial - Subtropical/Tropical Heavily Degraded Former Forest  

Biology

Diet

This species is a carrion feeder , eating almost any type of dead animal. The Black Vulture also preys on some small vertebrates , including young birds and small mammals. It can be commonly seen on the roadside eating vehicle-killed animals.

Reproduction

The breeding season occurs from January to July, peaking in March-April. This species will nest in a variety of situations, including on the ground under shrubs , on a cliff , in sheds or barns, or in a hollow log . No nest is built. The female lays 1-3 (usually 2) eggs that she and the male incubate for 37-48 days. The young are semi-altricial and are cared for by the adults for 80-94 days after they hatch .

• Clutch Size: 2
• Length of Incubation : 37-48 days
• Days to Fledge : 80-94
• Number of Broods: 1

Migration

Some migrate

Behavior

The Black Vulture uses mostly sight to find its food. In the evening, many individuals roost together. When frightened, the Black Vulture responds by swiftly regurgitating its last meal in the direction of whomever or whatever has frightened it.

Taxonomy

Synonyms

Coragyps atratus (Bechstein, 1793)

Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name .

Last scrutiny: 17-Oct-2001

Similar Species

Common in the SE US and in many parts of NC, Black Vultures can be distinguished from Turkey Vultures by their grayish-black skin on their heads. (Turkey Vultures have reddish skin on their heads.) Black Vultures also have a quicker wing-beat and shorter, broader wings. Also note the the whitish wingtips due to the light colored outermost primary feathers.

Members of the genus Coragyps

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 2 species and subspecies in this genus:

C. atratus (American Black Vulture) · C. atratus atratus (North American Black Vulture)

More Info

• Search for Pictures: images.google.com
• Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
• Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
• Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books

Further Reading

• A checklist of the vertebrate animals of Kansas / George D. Potts, Joseph T. Collins. [Lawrence, Kan.]: Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas, 1991. url p. 8.
• A geographic classification of Neotropical mammals. 36 1958 [Chicago]Chicago Natural History Museum, 1958. url p. 626.
• A survey of natural areas in Brunswick County, North Carolina: for The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Coastal Natural Area Inventory Project / Raleigh: North Carolina Coastal Energy Impact Program, Office of Coastal Management, North Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources and Community Development, [1982?] url .
• A survey of natural areas in Tyrrell County, North Carolina: for The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program, Coastal Natural Area Inventory Project / Raleigh: North Carolina Coastal Energy Impact Program, Office of Coastal Management, North Carolina Dept. of Natural Resources and Community Development, [1982?] url p. 12.
• A synopsis of the Accipitres (diurnal birds of prey): comprising species and subspecies described up to 1920, with their characters and distribution / London: Wheldon & Wesley, 1922. url .
• An early pleistocene avifauna from Inglis, Florida / by Gail Elaine Speaker Carr. 1981. url , p. 129, p. 35, p. 36, p. 40, p. 41.
• An ecological characterization of Coastal Maine (north and east of Cape Elizabeth) / Stewart I. Fefer and Patricia S. Schettig: principal investigators. Newton Corner, Mass.: Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Northeast Region, 1980. url .
• Annotated checklist of bird and mammal species of Cocha Cashu Biological Station, Manu National Park, Peru / John W. Terborgh, John W. Fitzpatrick, Louise Emmons. 21 1984 Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1984. url table 2 , p. 15.
• Biosphere Reserves, Compilation 4, October 1986: programme on man and the biosphere (MAB) IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre url p. 118.
• Bird lice from the Tinamidae. 24 1943 Chicago, 1943. url p. 392.
• Birds in Kansas / Max C. Thompson & Charles Ely. 1 Lawrence, Kan.: University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History: c1989- url p. 124, p. 397, p. xi.
• Bulletin - United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.];1877-1971. url , , , , p. 19, p. 20, p. 25, p. 28, p. 362, p. 759, p. 760, p. 772.
• Bulletin / Illinois Natural History Survey. Urbana, State of Illinois, Dept. of Registration and Education, Natural History Survey Division, 1918-1985. url p. 459.
• Bulletin / Peabody Museum of Natural History. 1972 New Haven: Peabody Museum of Natural History, url p. 101, p. 103, fig. 12, p. 300, p. 310, p. 333, p. 51, p. 52.
• Bulletin / Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology. Washington: G.P.O., 1901-1971. url p. 392, p. 72.
• Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). London: BM(NH) url p. 156, p. 210.
• Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 102 1949 Cambridge, Mass.: The Museum, 1863- url p. 132, p. 256, p. 290, p. 297, p. 312.
• Cassell's book of birds: From the text of Dr. Brehm / London, Cassell, Petter and Galpin, [1875?] url p. 309.
• Catalogue of birds of the Americas and the adjacent islands in Field Museum of Natural History. by Charles E. Hellmayr and Boardman Conover. 13 1949 Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1949. url p. 13, p. 4, p. 5.
• Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. London, 1874-98. url p. 23, p. 24.
• Check-list and bibliography on the occurrence of insects in birds' nests. Ames, Iowa State College Press[1959] url p. 396.
• Check-list of North American birds / prepared by a committee of the American ornithologists' union. Lancaster, Pa.: The Union, 1931. url p. 427.
• Check-list of North American birds. [Ithaca, N.Y.]1957. url p. 99.
• Check-list of North American birds: the species of birds of North America from the Arctic through Panama, including the West Indies and Hawaiian Islands / prepared by the Committee on Classification and Nomenclature of the American Orni Lawrence, Kan.: American Ornithologists' Union, 1983. url p. 802, p. 98.
• Check-list of birds of the world. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1931-1987. url p. 275.
• Checklist of CITES Species and Annotated CITES Appendices and Reservations CITES Secretariat, UNEP-WCMC url p. 24, p. 40, p. 8.
• Checklist of CITES Species: a reference to the appendices to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CITES url p. 20, p. 235, p. 242, p. 32, p. 75, p. 8.
• Ectoparasites of Panama. Rupert L. Wenzel [and] Vernon J. Tipton, editors. Chicago, Field Museum of Natural History, 1966. url p. 197, p. 832, p. 860.
• FWS/0BS. [Washington]Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior. url p. 137.
• Final environmental impact statement: proposed estuarine sanctuary grant award for Apalachicola Bay and lower Apalachicola River, Franklin County, Florida to State of Florida / Washington, D.C.: Office of Coastal Zone Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1979. url .
• IUCN Directory of Neotropical Protected Areas IUCN url p. 173.
• Miscellaneous publication - University of Kansas, Museum of Natural History. 1965 Lawrence: University of Kansas, 1946-1996. url p. 15, p. 16, p. 2.
• North American fauna. Washington: Fish and Wildlife Service; for sale by the Supt. of Docs., U. S. Govt. Print. Off. url p. 106, p. 392, p. 392.
• Notes on a collection of birds from Michoacan, Mexico, by Emmet R. Blake and Harold C. Hanson. 22 1942 [Chicago]1942. url p. 516, p. 524, p. 558.
• Occasional papers of the Museum of Natural History, the University of Kansas. 1982 Lawrence, Kan.: The University, 1971-1994. url p. 28, p. 7.
• Ornithological gazetteer of Argentina / Raymond A. Paynter. 1995 Cambridge, Mass.: Obtainable from Bird Dept., Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 1995. url p. 948.
• Ornithological gazetteer of Brazil / Raymond A. Paynter, Jr. and Melvin A. Traylor, Jr. Cambridge, Mass.: Obtainable from Bird Dept., Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 1991. url p. 725.
• Ornithological gazetteer of Colombia / Raymond A. Paynter, Jr. Cambridge, Mass.: Bird Dept., Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, 1997. url p. 508, p. 514.
• Our living resources: a report to the nation on the distribution, abundance, and health of U.S. plants, animals, and ecosystems / [edited by], Edward T. LaRoe. .. [et al.]. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Biological Service, 1995. url p. 528.
• Pesticides monitoring journal. [Washington, D.C.: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1967-1981. url p. 9.
• Postilla. 1968 New Haven, Conn.: Peabody Museum of Natural History, [1950?]-c2004. url p. 13, p. 5.
• Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. Washington, Biological Society of Washington url p. 188, p. 2, p. 502, p. 6, p. 704.
• Proceedings of the California Academy of Sciences, 4th series. San Francisco, California Academy of Sciences. url p. 121.
• Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, [etc.] url p. 180, p. 183, p. 236, p. 33, p. 404, p. 440, p. 441, p. 481, p. 519, p. 530, p. 533, p. 560, p. 586, p. 593, p. 597, p. 601, p. 617, p. 622, p. 646, p. 662.
• Protected Landscapes: experience around the world. Prepared for the International Symposium on Protected Landscapes, Grange-over-Sands, England 5-10 October 1987 IUCN url p. 331.
• Publication / Institute of Social Anthropology. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1944- url p. 352.
• Report of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and financial report of the Executive Committee of the Board of Regents for the year ending June 30. .. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 1933-1965. url p. 100, p. 104, p. 106, p. 118, p. 137, p. 149, p. 149, p. 150, p. 154, p. 166, p. 70, p. 81, p. 82, p. 82, p. 86, p. 94, p. 97.
• Sea-birds: an introduction to the natural history of the sea-birds of the North Atlantic / by James Fisher and R. M. Lockley. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1954. url p. 315.
• Smithsonian miscellaneous collections. 145 1962 Washington: Smithsonian Institution, 1862-1968. url p. 1, p. 1, p. 10, p. 13, p. 154, p. 157, p. 18, p. 2, p. 2, p. 21, p. 23, p. 29, p. 36, p. 4, p. 4, p. 468, p. 469, p. 471, p. 89, p. 90.
• Smithsonian year: annual report of the Smithsonian Institution for the year ended Sept. 30. .. 1981 City of Washington: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O., 1980-2001. url p. 155, p. 502, p. 508.
• Social feeding behavior of birds. 36 1954 [Chicago]Chicago Natural History Museum, 1954. url p. 13, p. 8.
• Special scientific report--wildlife / U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service. Washington, D.C.: The Service, 1949- url p. 34, p. 8.
• Station bulletin. Durham, N.H.: Agricultural Experiment Station, University of New Hampshire, 1948- url p. 103, p. 35.
• Syllogeus. Ottawa, National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1972-1995. url p. 10.
• Technical report: Illinois natural areas inventory / by the Department of Landscape Architecture, Univeristy of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and the Natural Land Institute, Rockford, Illinois. Urbana: Dept. of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois and Natural Land Institute, 1978. url p. 411.
• The Canadian field-naturalist. Ottawa, Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club. url , p. 256, p. 521, p. 598, p. 600, p. 602, p. 614, p. 615.
• The Great Basin naturalist. 43 1983 Provo, Utah: M.L. Bean Life Science Museum, Brigham Young University, 1939-1999. url p. 730.
• The IUCN Amphibia-Reptilia Red Data Book. Part 1 Testudines Crocodylia and Rhynchocephalia IUCN url p. 204.
• The Marine Mammal Commission compendium of selected treaties, international agreements, and other relevant documents on marine resources, wildlife, and the environment / compiled by Richard L. Wallace. Washington, D.C.: The Commission; 1994 url p. 503.
• The Pleistocene avifauna of the Talara tar seeps, northwestern Peru. 1973. url .
• The birds of Chile, by Charles E. Hellmayr. 19 1932 Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1932. url p. 292.
• The ecology of delta marshes of coastal Louisiana: a community profile / by James G. Gosselink. Washington, DC: National Coastal Ecosystems Team, Division of Biological Services, Research Development, Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior: 1984. url p. 71.
• The non-passerine Pleistocene avifauna of the Talara Tar Seeps, northwestern Peru / Toronto: Royal Ontario Museum, 1979. url p. 73.
• Transactions of the Kentucky Academy of Science. [Lexington, Ky.]Kentucky Academy of Science, 1923-1997. url p. 128, p. 132, p. 53.
• University of Kansas publications, Museum of Natural History. 8 1956 Lawrence, University of Kansas. url p. 318, p. 550, p. 581, p. 584, p. 607, p. 653, p. 657, p. 678, p. 684.

Notes

Contributors

• BirdLife International 2009. Coragyps atratus. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloadedon 31January2012.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-present. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Zwaag, The Netherlands. Accessed January 9, 2012.
• IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. . Downloaded on January 28, 2012.

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 26, 2007:

• Avian Knowledge Network, eBird
• Biologiezentrum der Oberoesterreichischen Landesmuseen, Biologiezentrum Linz
• Canadian Biodiversity Information Facility, Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada. Birds
• Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Terrestrial vertebrate specimens
• New Brunswick Museum, NBM birds
• Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara Musem of Natural History
• UNIBIO, IBUNAM, CNAV/Coleccion Nacional de Aves
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
• , Bird specimens

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 8927
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-175272
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 2498402
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 175272
• IUCN ID: 201957
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: ABNKA01010
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 218

Footnotes

1. Mean = 1,010.620 meters (3,315.682 feet), Standard Deviation = 1,020.120 based on 584 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

©2004-2012 David Stang. All rights reserved.