Cathartes burrovianus
Silhouette: Jan Sevcik (photo), John E. McCormack, Michael G. Harvey, Brant C. Faircloth, Nicholas G. Crawford, Travis C. Glenn, Robb T. Brumfield & T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
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. It is a large bird, with a wingspan of 150–165 cm (59–65 in). The body plumage is black, and the head and neck, which are featherless, are pale orange with red or blue areas. It lacks a syrinx, so therefore its vocalizations are limited to grunts or low hisses.
The lesser yellow-headed vulture feeds on carrion and locates carcasses by sight and by smell, an ability which is rare in birds. It is dependent on larger vultures, such as the king vulture, to open the hides of larger animal carcasses as its bill is not strong enough to do this. Like other New World vultures, the lesser yellow-headed vulture utilizes thermals to stay aloft with minimal effort. It lays its eggs on flat surfaces, such as the floors of caves, or in the hollows of stumps. It feeds its young by regurgitation... Wikipedia →
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Brazil · 2022
© Luiz C. Silva · XC717346 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barranquilla | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 2 | São Luís | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Recife | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Asuncion | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | |
| 5 | Santa Cruz de la Sierra | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 6 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Vitória | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 9 | Fortaleza | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Rio de Janeiro | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 3 | Zlín-Lešná Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 4 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 5 | African Lion Safari | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Reptile Gardens | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Bioparc Fuengirola | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 10 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 11 | Snakeroom Serpentarium | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture sighting in Celestún Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 719 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 36th most-seen of the 297 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture in Celestún Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against about 20% in March and December, the lowest months. That is one of Celestún Biosphere Reserve's wettest months, with about 160 mm of rain against 10 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 28
Of the 28 parks where we can rate Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture sightings, Celestún Biosphere Reserve ranks 4th at about 40%. The best odds are in Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas (Brazil, about 60%), Emas National Park (Brazil, about 40%) and Iberá National Park (Argentina, about 40%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture is recorded against all the birds logged in Celestún Biosphere Reserve (719 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
