Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture feeds on carrion and locates carcasses by sight and by smell, an ability which is rare in birds. It is dependent on larger vultures, such as the King Vulture, to open the hides of larger animal carcasses as its bill is not strong enough to do this. Like other New World Vultures, the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture utilizes thermals to stay aloft with minimal effort. It lays its eggs on flat surfaces, such as the floors of caves, or in the hollows of stumps. It feeds its young by regurgitation.

The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture is classified as Least Concern. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture until they were split in 1964. It is found in South America in tropical moist lowland forests. It is a average size bird, with a wingspan of 165-210 centimeters (65-70 inches), a weight of 4.5 to 6 kilograms (9.9 to 13 lb) and 70 cm long.. The body plumage is black, and the head and neck, which are featherless, range in color from deep yellow to pale orange. More

The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture feeds on carrion and locates carcasses by sight and by smell, an ability which is rare in birds. It is dependent on larger vultures, such as the King Vulture, to open the hides of larger animal carcasses as its bill is not strong enough to do this. Like other New World Vultures, the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture utilizes thermals to stay aloft with minimal effort. More

Patterns of Lesser Yellow-headed Vultures in Belize. Unpublished manuscript. 14 James, D., J. Bider. 1993. Bird List: Community Baboon Sanctuary, 1989- 1993 (derived from banding & census data, field notes). Unpublished data. 15 Robbins, Chandler. 1996. U.S.F.& Wildlife Service Wintering Bird Surveys for Belize. Unpublished data provided by C. Robbins. More

The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture flies solitarily, with wings held in a dihedral position. It glides at a low altitude over wetlands of the Pantanal while locating food, and perches on fence posts or on other low perches. When flying, it travels alone and is rarely found in groups. The flight of the lesser Yellow-Headed is an example of static soaring flight, which uses thermals to maintain altitude without the need to flap its wings. More

vulture relatives, the lesser yellow-headed vulture nests in tree cavities. Status: Rare Folklore, Misc. Information: Only recently was the Lesser yellow-headed vulture recognised as a separate species from the Greater yellow-headed vulture. This distinction was made official in 1964. A Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture in many languages: English: Yellow-Headed Vulture, Savannah Vulture, Savanna VultureSpanish: Zamuro de Cabeza Amarilla More information on the Lesser Yellow Headed Vulture Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulturefwie.fw.vt.edu/wcs/040560.HTM Informationwww.lairweb.org.nz/vulture/lesser. More

The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture was first described in 1845 by John Cassin. It is sometimes recognized as having two subspecies. The first, Cathartes burrovianus urubitinga, is the larger of the two and is found from Argentina north to Columbia, while the nominate subspecies, Cathartes burrovianus burrovianus, is smaller and found from northwestern South America through Central America to Mexico. The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture's genus, Cathartes, means "purifier" and is from the Latinized form of the Greek kathart??s/καθαρτη??. More

"Buzz", Creatures of Creation's lesser yellow-headed vulture is in the New World (or American) family of vultures. The lesser yellow-headed vulture is similar to the greater yellow-headed vulture, but tends to be smaller and have a multi-colored head. While vultures may have a dreadful reputation as birds of peril, God made them to serve a very unique purpose, cleaning up dead animals from our landscapes that would otherwise create serious health problems. More

is the lesser yellow-headed vulture, Cathartes burrovianus, which weighs about 0.94 kilograms (2.1 pounds) (Wallace 2004) and has a length of about 56 to 61 centimeters (22 to 24 inches). Two other members of the Cathartes genus also are among the smaller members of this family, with the greater yellow-headed vulture (C. melambrotus) weighing about 1.2 kilograms (2.6 pounds), and the turkey vulture (C. aura) weighting about 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) (Wallace 2004). More

the two bird species the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture is the smaller. Food: Fish may form part an integral part of this vulture's diet and there is some evidence that some of these may be taken alive, probably when they become stranded in shallow water. Other than this, the Yellow-headed Vulture's diet is almost entirely carrion. Reproduction: Little is known about the habits of this bird, though it nests in the cavities of trees. More