Photo: Sidnei Dantas / CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture
Cathartes melambrotus
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes melambrotus) — Birds of Prey of South America.
Found across 4 guides in our atlas — open any for the full checklist, photos and what's around right now.
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes melambrotus) is a member of the Cathartidae family found in South America. Adults weigh 1.4 kg. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List (opens in a new tab)Widespread and abundant — not currently at risk.
Where it fits
- Class Aves
- Order Accipitriformes
- Family Cathartidae New World Vultures
- Genus Cathartes
- Species melambrotus
Quick facts
- Weight
- 1.4 kg
- Diet
- Scavengers
- Family
- Cathartidae
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Habitat
- Woodland
How to identify
Similar birds
Least Concern
Least Concern
Least Concern
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Biology & behaviour
Diet
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture feeds largely by scavenging carrion.
Behaviour
A bird of open forest, it forages mainly on the ground.
Migration
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes melambrotus) belongs to the Cathartidae family of the order Accipitriformes. It occurs naturally across South America. Its distribution covers SA Amazonia.
It is a very large bird. Adults weighs around 1.4 kg, with a wing length of about 50.3 cm and a tail of around 25.8 cm.
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern. That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
The species has a mapped global range of roughly 6.7 million km².
Frequently asked questions
How big is the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture?
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture is a very large bird that weighs around 1.4 kg.
Where does the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture live?
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture is found across South America with a range covering SA Amazonia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.
What family does the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture belong to?
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes melambrotus) belongs to the Cathartidae family, in the order Accipitriformes.
What does the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture eat?
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture feeds largely by scavenging carrion.
Does the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture migrate?
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.
Is the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture endangered?
The IUCN Red List currently assesses it as Least Concern That category covers species that remain widespread and reasonably abundant in the wild.
How large is the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture's range?
The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture has a mapped global range of about 6.7 million km².
Conservation
Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.
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