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New World vultures are generally large, ranging in length from the lesser yellow-headed vulture at 56–61 centimeters (22–24 inches) up to the California and Andean condors, both of which can reach 120 centimeters (48 inches) in length and weigh 12 or more kilograms (26 or more pounds).
The taxonomic placement of the turkey vulture and the remaining six species of New World vultures has been in flux. [13] Though both are similar in appearance and have similar ecological roles, the New World and Old World vultures evolved from different ancestors in different parts of the world. Some earlier authorities suggested that the New ...
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion.There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). [2] Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and South America and consist of seven identified species, all belonging to the Cathartidae family.
The black vulture (Coragyps atratus), also known as the American black vulture, Mexican vulture, zopilote, urubu, or gallinazo, is a bird in the New World vulture family whose range extends from the southeastern United States to Peru, Central Chile and Uruguay in South America.
Condor Temporal range: Late Pliocene – Holocene Andean condor soaring over southern Peru's Colca Canyon Scientific classification Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Accipitriformes Family: Cathartidae Genera Vultur Gymnogyps Condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. The name derives from the Quechua kuntur ...
The DNA-based proposal and the NACC and IOC classifications include the New World vultures in the Accipitriformes, [7] [11] while the SACC classifies the New World vultures as a separate order, the Cathartiformes. When Cathartiformes is considered a separate order, sister to Accipitriformes, Accipitriformes sensu lato is called Accipitrimorphae.
The placement of the New World vultures has been unclear since the early 1990s. The reason for this is the controversial systematic history of the New World vultures as they were assumed to be more related to (or a subfamily of) Ciconiidae (the storks) after Sibley and Ahlquist work on their DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late ...
Excluding the two species of condors, the king vulture is the largest of the New World vultures. Its overall length ranges from 67 to 81 cm (26–32 in) and its wingspan is 1.2 to 2 m (4–7 ft). Its weight ranges from 2.7 to 4.5 kg (6–10 lb).