King Vulture

History:

The New World vultures are a family of scavenging birds that includes the King Vulture. They are native to the Americas, and while they are similar to the Old World vultures of Africa, Europe and Asia, they are not closely related and their similarities are the result of “convergent evolution”. This occurs when two unrelated groups of animals develop the same traits or features to help them adapt to their environments.

The King Vulture is listed as a species of “Least Concern” by the International Union for the Conseravtion of Nature, though its numbers do appear to be declining due to habitat destruction. Though it is the only member of its genus Sarcoramphus, the naturalist William Bartram described a very similar bird during his travels to Florida in the late 1700s. This bird, called the “Painted Vulture”, is not known from any other accounts, and it’s still unknown whether Bartram had encountered a Florida population of King Vultures, or a new species entirely. It’s also possible that he was mistaken, or made up the encounter, though the mystery of just what the “Painted Vulture” was continues to this day.