BLACK VULTURE 



Young. Plumage entirely blackish brown; 

 bare skin of head and neck dusky. 



So strikingly colored and marked as to be 

 unmistakable. One in adult plumage seen soar- 

 ing over the high part of Barro Colorado on 

 April 5th, 1926, and one in young plumage in the 

 Monkey-cap palm forest near Fort Sherman in 

 April 1924. 



2. Catharista urubu (Vieillot) 

 Black Vulture 



Sexes alike. Length 610 mm. (24.00 in.); 

 tail 203 mm. (8.00 in.). Plumage black, the 

 under surface of the wings with small transverse 

 whitish patch near the tip. Head unfeathered, 

 the bare skin blackish. Bill and feet black. 



Commonly called Buzzard, like its near rela- 

 tive Cathartes aura aura. It is not so' common 

 or so generally distributed throughout the 

 country as that species, but often exceeds it in 

 numbers in the vicinity of towns and cities and 

 along the sea coast. Aside from the difference 

 in the color of the bare skin of the head, there 

 are differences in general conformation that are 

 noticeable both when flying and at other times. 

 The tail of this species is shorter than that of the 

 Turkey Vulture and its wings are broader. Its 

 plumage is blacker and has a small whitish patch 

 extending across the quills a little way from the 

 end of the wing on the under side, while the 



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