KING VULTURE 



the American vultures while superficially like 

 the Old World ones and resembling them in 

 their filthy, carrion feeding habits and won- 

 derful powers of eyesight and flight, have so 

 many small peculiarities in their skeleton and 

 anatomy that they are always made a family 

 apart. The bill is hooked but rather slender 

 and weak, the nostrils large, the feet with 

 slender toes and blunt claws suggesting those 

 of a chicken, the wings very large, the plum- 

 age sombre, the head and neck more or less 

 bare and the vocal organs almost wanting so 

 that they can produce only a weak, hissing 

 noise. The few species inhabit North and 

 South America, and include the condors,, 

 two of the largest of flying birds. Unlike 

 most birds of prey, the females are no larger 

 than the males. 



i. Gypagus papa (Linnaeus) 

 King Vulture 



Length 815 mm. (32.00 in.); tail 255 mm. 

 (10.00 in.). 



Sexes alike. Adult. Head, upper neck and 

 middle of chest bare; an erect caruncle at base 

 of upper mandible; feathers of lower neck, ruff, 

 slaty gray; upper back, shoulders, most of outer 

 webs of inner quills, wing coverts and remaining 

 under parts, excepting bare skin of chest, cream 

 color; rump and tail black. Bare skin of head 

 and throat variously colored (red, yellow, orange 

 and blue), but red predominating; bare skin of 

 chest pinkish; bill black basally, red or orange 

 terminally; iris white. 



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