How is it known?
Due to its extensive distribution, the king vulture ( Sarcoramphus papa ) is known by many names. Among them: king zamuro, king zamuro or king buzzard (Mexico and Venezuela), king zope (Honduras), royal buzzard (Nicaragua), king gallote (Panama), king of gallinazos (Colombia), condor of the plains (Venezuela) , jungle condor (Peru), royal crow (Paraguay), and royal jote or royal condor (Argentina).
Where do you live?
Its distribution in the American continent is wide, since it goes from Mexico to the north of Argentina and Uruguay. This bird inhabits the undisturbed lowland tropical forests and savannas and grasslands that are in their vicinity, no more than 1500 meters (except in the eastern Andes, where it has been observed at an altitude of 2500 meters above the sea level).
Why is it characterized?
Aside from possessing one of the most striking and colorful heads in the vulture world, the king vulture possesses the most robust beak of the American vultures. However, despite its great size and strength, it is not usually aggressive when joining other individuals of its species.
What does it feed on?
Like the rest of birds of prey, it feeds on carrion, that is, on the carcasses of dead animals that they find in nature. The king vulture can fly for hours in search of food, planned without barely flapping its wings. When finding a corpse, they usually go down between one or two individuals, although sometimes up to ten individuals have been documented at the same time if there is enough food. On occasion, he has been seen actively hunting wounded or newborn animals and small lizards.
Who eats them?
Despite spending much of its life in the air, the king vulture is also in danger. There are numerous snakes capable of climbing up to their nests to feed on the eggs and their chicks. In addition, when these vultures go down to the ground to feed, they must be very cautious, since attacks from big cats such as the jaguar have been reported that take advantage of the situation to hunt and devour them.
How do they reproduce?
King vulture pairs are monogamous, that is, once they have been formed, they remain for life. Heat occurs during the dry season and will give rise to a single egg that both parents will raise in the hollow of a tree. As a curiosity, the nest has a foul odor to scare away potential predators.
What is its state of conservation?
Although this species is classified by the IUCN Red List as “of least concern”, since its estimates between 10,000 and 100,000 individuals in the wild are spread over more than 14 million km², we cannot be trusted. It seems that science would have reason to suspect the decline of their populations due to the destruction of their habitat and the poaching to which they are subjected.
