From Opus

Adult Male. Photo by Dwaalgast
Location: Cruz del Condor, Colca Canyon, Peru, September 2006

Vultur gryphus

[edit] Identification

Adult length of 102-127cm (40-50")
Unmistakable - the world's largest flying bird. The male is larger than the female, unlike most raptors.
A black vulture with a ruff of white feathers surrounding the base of the neck and, especially in the male, large white patches on the wings. The dull red head and neck are nearly featherless, which may flush and therefore change color according to the bird's emotional state.
The male, has a wattle on the neck and a large, dark red comb or caruncle on the crown.

Juveniles lack the distinctive white markings on neck and wings, and are instead overall grayish-brown, with blackish head and neck skin.

Juvenile. Photo by Gary Clark
Quebrada del Condorito, Cordoba Province, Argentina

[edit] Distribution

South America: The Andes and coasts of Colombia to Tierra del Fuego.

Populations declining over the entire range, which historically included all the countries on the west coast of the continent.

[edit] Taxonomy

Monotypic.^[1]

Photo by Dwaalgast
Cruz del Condor, Colca Canyon, Peru, September 2006

[edit] Habitat

Mostly now limited to high elevations. Open grasslands, paramo regions.

[edit] Behaviour

Soars on flat out-stretched wings; not often seen perched.

[edit] References

1. Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist.
2. Visual dictionary

• List of references

[edit] External Links

• Arthur Grosset's Birds