Monday, November 5, 2012

Black Vulture

Black Vulture(s), Coragyps atratus
Found throughout the majority of South America up through the southern portion of North America, the Black Vulture is a common sighting. Unlike the Turkey Vulture, the other common vulture species, the black vulture rarely travels alone, relies more on sight than smell, and does not have a summer breeding migration. When identifying between the two species, the black vulture is a dark shape with white wing tips and often flying higher than its counterpart. It is a monogamous species that forms strong social bonds with its kin. As with all carrion eating animals, lead poisoning is not uncommon due to lead shots being left in carcasses or gut piles from hunters.

3 comments:

  1. Craziest thing ever: a couple of weeks ago, I saw a turkey vulture eating a dead turkey vulture on the side of the highway. It was pretty dang creepy!!

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    1. Haha! Can't let that go to waste, now can we? Cannibalism is more common in the animal kingdom than I'd ever realized.

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