Sarcoramphus papa
king vulture

King vultures are found in the southern part of Mexico and throughout Central and South America to northern Argentina. (del Hoyo et al., 1994)

King vultures generally live in undisturbed forest in the lowland tropics. They have been found in savannas and grasslands also, but usually only when there are forests nearby. They can be found at elevations up to 1200 m. Little is known about king vultures in the wild, but it is believed that they live in the emergent layer of the forest, which is the top most part of the trees above the canopy. Their hard to reach preferred habitat could be why we do not know much about them. (De Roy, 1998; del Hoyo et al., 1994)

The most noticeable difference between king vultures and other vultures is that they are largely covered with white plumage. Their wings are mostly white with black tips. The ruff, flight and tail feathers are gray to black; the black areas have an almost opalescent sheen. Their wingspan is between 180 to 198 cm (71 to 78 inches), and from head to tail they are about 71 to 81 cm (28 to 32 inches). An adult can weigh from 3 kg (6.6lbs) up to more than 4.5 kg (9.9lbs). Their bare head, neck, beak and muttle are red, orange and yellow, with very striking eyes that are straw, white or silver in color. Their beaks have a hooked tip and cutting edges, which are very strong. Their feet are gray. These birds are very striking, especially since most other vultures are all black. There are no differences between the males and females of this species. When they are young, king vultures are covered with white downy feathers. (Chaffee Zoo, Date Unknown; De Roy, 1998; del Hoyo et al., 1994; Stiles and Skutch, 1989)

There is not very much information about king vultures in the wild, including their lifespan. However, there is at least one pair of birds in Paris that have been studied in captivity for over 30 years. (De Roy, 1998)

King vultures stay in family units and do not congregate in large groups. They remain out of sight for the most part, sitting high in the canopy or flying and soaring high in the air looking for food. They are not migratory and are seen in the same areas all year long.

Unlike some other vultures, king vultures do not have a well-developed sense of smell. They rely on other vultures to find prey and will then descend to take part in feeding. King vultures are very rarely aggressive, and will usually back down before fighting. Because of their large wings and bodies they depend totally on air currents for flight, they do not flap their wings unless absolutely necessary. (Chaffee Zoo, Date Unknown; De Roy, 1998; del Hoyo et al., 1994)

Home Range

We do not have information on home range for this species at this time.

King vultures, as well as all vultures in the family Cathartidae, lack a voice box (a syrinx and the muscles that make it work). They are not completely silent though, they do make very low croaking sounds. They also make noises during breeding, and give warning sounds if anything approaches their nests. (del Hoyo et al., 1994; Stiles and Skutch, 1989)

King vultures are scavengers. Their only source of food is dead animals. King vultures are not known to kill any animals, not even ones that are obviously sick or ready to die. Unlike other New World vultures (family Cathartidae), king vultures arguably have no sense of smell. They will fly high in the sky watching and waiting for other smaller vultures to get excited about a find, they then swoop down out of the sky to the carrion. They usually end up stealing the carcass from the vulture that found it in the first place. They have more powerful beaks than other vultures, and are able to break through the tough hides of the carrion. It is often necessary for king vultures to make the initial tear through the hide so that other vultures, with less powerful beaks, can feed. Each New World vulture species has a unique part of a carcass that they specialize in eating. King vultures eat the skin and harder parts of tissue from the dead animals. (del Hoyo et al., 1994; Stiles and Skutch, 1989)

King vultures and other members of the family Cathartidae do not seem to have many anti-predation adaptations. Their nests are vulnerable to animals that prey opportunistically on young and eggs (such as snakes (suborder Serpentes)). Adults are vulnerable while eating. If a large cat (family Felidae) comes to a carcass and the vulture is full of food then it may have a hard time getting off of the ground and away from danger. They are also vulnerable to attack if they are injured or ill.

There is some controversy, but it is believed that the nest sites of these birds are very smelly for the purpose of scaring off potential predators. (De Roy, 1998)

King vultures, as well as other members of the family Cathartidae, play an important role in their ecosystem. These birds are usually the first to find dead animals and immediately begin to dispose of the rotting remains. As are all scavengers, these birds are important in keeping their environment free of dead, decomposing animals; this may also help reduce possible sources of disease. (del Hoyo et al., 1994)

There are no known adverse affects of king vultures on humans.

As a result of their unique beauty and size, king vultures are an attraction at zoos. (De Roy, 1998)

King vultures are rarely seen in large numbers and several have been sited in a areas where they were previously thought not to exist. It is apparent, however, that human encroachment and habitat loss have had an adverse affect on king vultures. They are listed as Appendix III by CITES. (del Hoyo et al., 1994)

Even though king vultures and other New World vultures (family Cathartidae) look like Old World vultures (family Accipitridae), it is believed that New World vultures are actually descendents of storks. They have skeletal, skull and muscle structure similar to storks, as well as some similar behavioral traits. However, they are almost the same size, have the same beak strength and have the same bare head and neck as Old World vultures. The similarity between Old World and New World vultures is a prime example of convergent evolution. (del Hoyo et al., 1994)