King Vulture

The King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the new world vulture family Cathartidae. The primary habitat of this vulture is tropical lowland forests, which extend from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Although there are known fossil members of the genus Sarcoramphus, it is the only living member.

The king vulture is a large bird that is primarily white, with gray to black feathers on its ruff, wings, and tail. The skin color ranges from yellow to orange to blue to purple to red, and the head and neck are bald. The orange fleshy caruncle on the king vulture's beak is quite visible. Being a scavenger, this vulture frequently makes the first incision into a live cadaver. Additionally, it drives away smaller new world vulture species from a cadaver. King vultures have been reported to survive up to 30 years in captivity. King vultures were well-liked characters in both local mythology and medicine, as well as the Mayan codices. Despite being classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, they are becoming less common, mostly as a result of habitat degradation.