Black Vulture

Class: Birds

Order: Accipitriformes

Family: Vultures

Weight: 7-12 kg

Height: 120-135 cm

Body length: About 1 m

Color: Feathers are grayish-brown, black only in juveniles under one year old.

Age of sexual maturity: 5-6 years

Gestation period: 31 to 41 days

Lifespan: About 50 years

Habitat: From the northeastern United States to Peru, central Chile, and Uruguay in South America; Southeast Altai.

Diet: Carrion

Did you know?

• In some ancient religions, the vulture was considered a sacred bird. Tuvans, Tibetans, and Indians would “entrust” their deceased to the care of vultures. The chief deities of Babylon, Assyria, and Ancient Egypt were depicted with the head of a vulture. The vulture appears in the breastplate decoration of Pharaoh Tutankhamun. The vulture is depicted in the personal coat of arms of the Romanov family.
• Vultures can eat about five kilograms of meat at one time, without moving away from the carrion.
• Vultures are monogamous and form lifelong pairs. Each pair nests far from other conspecifics, with distances between vulture nests ranging from 300 to 2000 meters.