Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes burrovianus)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Cathartes burrovianus Cassin, 1845

935 gWeight

The lesser yellow-headed vulture (Cathartes burrovianus), also known as the savannah vulture, is a species of bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae.

Most records: Brazil, Belize, Mexico

Least Concern

Where and when it's recorded

Most records: Brazil, Belize, Mexico

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture has been recorded at 457 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 20 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. MEX - Veracruz- MInatitlan - Pantano de Santa AlejandrinMexico2,881 records
  2. Poconé – Pousada PiuvalBrazil1,419 records
  3. Crooked Tree Wildlife SanctuaryBelize1,291 records
More places
  1. Pantanal – P. Jofre boat on Rio Cuiabá & tributariesBrazil1,290 records
  2. Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary – Bird's Eye View LodgeBelize1,114 records
  3. Medio Queso wetlandCosta Rica1,084 records
  4. Carretera a Juan HombrónPanama967 records
  5. Refugio mixto Caño NegroCosta Rica960 records
  6. Hacienda El Escobal, TolimaColombia833 records
  7. Cattle Landing – waterfrontBelize793 records

Countries and regions with the most records

BrazilBelizeMexicoColombiaCosta RicaArgentinaPanamaParaguay

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The lesser yellow-headed vulture (Cathartes burrovianus), also known as the savannah vulture, is a species of bird in the New World vulture family Cathartidae. It was considered to be the same species as the greater yellow-headed vulture until they were split in 1964. It is found in Mexico, Central America, and South America in seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, swamps, and heavily degraded former forest.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture?

The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture weighs around 935 g.

Where does the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture live?

Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: eastern Mexico to northern Argentina. It is most often recorded in Brazil, Belize and Mexico.

Is the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture as Least Concern.

What does the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture eat?

Main food: Carrion.

What family is the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture in?

It belongs to the family New World Vultures (Cathartidae), order Accipitriformes.

At a glance

Weight
935 g
Habitat
Grassland
Diet
Carrion
Lifestyle
Active on the ground
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
486 mm
Tail
240 mm
Bill
50 mm
Tarsus
49 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Middle America, South America: eastern Mexico to northern Argentina

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Family
New World Vultures Cathartidae
Genus
Cathartes

Other birds in the genus Cathartes

Turkey VultureTurkey VultureCathartes auraGreater Yellow-headed VultureGreater Yellow-headed VultureCathartes melambrotusCalifornia CondorCalifornia CondorGymnogyps californianusKing VultureKing VultureSarcoramphus papaAndean CondorAndean CondorVultur gryphusBlack VultureBlack VultureCoragyps atratus
Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Juan Bou Riquer. ↗

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