Large New World vulture with dark brown-black plumage and contrasting silvery flight feathers below. Adults have a bare red head and neck, ivory bill, and perforate nares (no nasal septum); juveniles show a gray head. Body length 64–81 cm, wingspan 160–183 cm, mass ~0.8–2.4 kg; sexes alike (females slightly larger on average). In flight it holds the wings in a shallow dihedral (V) and rocks or “wobbles” in thermals. Legs pale; tail long and slightly rounded. Does not build a nest—lays on cave floors, hollow logs, abandoned buildings, or protected ground. Chicks are covered in dense white down; adults often sun-bathe with wings spread.
64–81 cm; 160–183 cm
~0.85–2.4 kg
Typical Lifespan / Longevity Up to ~16 yr 10 mo wild (banding record); >30 yr in captivity
Data deficient
Data deficient
~3–5 years
Variable; Mar–Jun in temperate N. America; in the tropics can breed most of the year
1–3 eggs (usually 2); one brood/year
Large New World vulture with dark brown-black plumage and contrasting silvery flight feathers below. Adults have a bare red head and neck, ivory bill, and perforate nares (no nasal septum); juveniles show a gray head. Body length 64–81 cm, wingspan 160–183 cm, mass ~0.8–2.4 kg; sexes alike (females slightly larger on average). In flight it holds the wings in a shallow dihedral (V) and rocks or “wobbles” in thermals. Legs pale; tail long and slightly rounded. Does not build a nest—lays on cave floors, hollow logs, abandoned buildings, or protected ground. Chicks are covered in dense white down; adults often sun-bathe with wings spread.
Open and semi-open landscapes: forest edges, pastures, wetlands, agricultural and coastal zones from sea level to highlands. Communal roosts in tall trees, cliffs, or towers. In Costa Rica it is a common resident from lowlands to mountain belts.
Obligate scavenger of vertebrate carrion; key detritivore reducing pathogen loads and recycling nutrients
Diurnal; highly gregarious at communal roosts (dozens to >30 birds). Both parents incubate and regurgitate food to young. Defensive behaviors include hissing and defensive vomiting. Uses thermals to soar with wings held in a shallow V.
Shallow coral and rocky reefs, sand flats, seagrass beds and mangrove channels from intertidal pools to ≈ 70 m; in Costa Rica abundant around Isla del Caño, Golfo Dulce, Bahía Culebra, and Caribbean patch reefs of Cahuita.
