The King of Vultures!
Date:9/7
Location: Amazon Rainforest
Observations:
- They are one of the most brightly colored vultures on earth.
- They have mostly white feathers with bright red bald heads. The bald head protects them from getting bacteria in their feathers.
- King vultures fly high above the trees using the wind currents to glide, rarely flapping their wings.
- They have keen eyesight and a great sense of smell. They use these to find food or spot other vultures at a carcass.
- King vultures are the largest new world vulture.
- They let other vultures tear open carcasses first and then take over.
- Females and males look identical.
- Both parents incubate the egg and help raise the chick.
- A king vulture doesn’t get it’s full plumage until it is 5 years old.
Name from old Mayan legend that the king vulture was a carrier of message between humans & the Gods
We went to same spot on the edge of the forest to see if we could spot any vultures. We saw a carcass of a large animal across the open grass field the day before and were hoping the vultures would come today. It didn’t take long before the turkey vultures showed up! And then finally a king vulture swooped in and everyone else moved out its way. They definitely are kings of the carcass! Hahahaha!
The Adventures of Ellie and Edmond 