GEN. IV. CATHARTES Dliger (1811). 

 Type by subs, desig. (Vigors 1825) Vultur aura L. 



Tail rounded. 



t*4. Cathartes aura aura (Linn.), S.N., i., p. 86 

 (1758). [America calidiore : type loc. 

 subst. Vera Cruz, Mexico, apud Nelson.] 

 Turkey Vulture. 



Wing 500-530 {^ largest) ; tail 253-270 ; 

 tarsus 59 mm. ; crown whitish ; head and 

 neck dark reddish purple to light crimson 

 (in life) ; iris brown ; plumage brownish 

 black, with metallic reflections on mantle 

 and chest ; wing coverts chiefly brown. 



N. America : 

 53° N. in Cana- 

 da to Mexico 

 and Guatemala ; 

 Bahamas, Cuba, 

 Jamaica. 



4a. Cathartes aura tneridionalis,^ subsp. nov. 

 [nom. nov. Cathartes aura aura (Linn.) 

 ed. 1, et auct. plur. Type loc. sugg. 

 Colombial. 

 S. American Turkey- Vulture. 



Larger, wing 530-550 (example from Colom- 

 bia in B.M. coll. 550 mm.) ; tail 292, 

 tarsus 74 mm. ; plumage averaging blacker. 



W. South 

 America, from 

 Colombia to 

 Peru, N. Chile 

 and Argentina 

 (S. to Rio 

 Negro?). 



4b. Cathartes aura insularis subsp. nov. [ad. Cozumel I., 

 Cozumel I., Yucatan, 1885, G. F. Gaumer, Yucatan. 

 B.M. reg. no. 87, 5, 1, 962, type in Brit. 

 Mus., descr. in Biol. Centr. Amer.] 

 Cozumel Turkey- Vulture. 



Much smaller ; wing 470-505 (type, not 

 sexed, ? .^ 475 mm.) ; plumage much 



>■ It being apparent that Linnaeus described the N. American and not the 

 S. American race, the former becomes the typical form and the name septentrionalis 

 (Wied) must be dropped. Lack of material renders it doubtful if the examples 

 found in Western S. America are really distinct, but as they certainly average larger 

 and a trifle blacker I have felt it convenient to maintain the separation with a change 

 of name. 



