Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

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

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Bogota

In 3 days <5%

25 Verified sightings at Bogota
5,168 In all 28 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

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 →

Sounds

Alarm call0:06

Brazil · 2022

© Luiz C. Silva · XC717346 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas 🇧🇷 Brazil
~60%
2 Emas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~40%
3 Iberá National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~40%
4 Celestún Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
5 Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
6 El Impenetrable National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
~30%
7 Lago de Yojoa 🇭🇳 Honduras
~20%
8 Chapada Diamantina National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
9 Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~20%
10 Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
~10%
11 Amacayacu National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
12 Anavilhanas National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
13 Sierra de la Macarena National Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
~10%
14 Serra dos Órgãos National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
15 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
16 Manuel Antonio National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
17 Arrecifes de Cozumel National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
18 Itatiaia National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
19 Chapada dos Guimarães National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
20 Tayrona National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
21 Calakmul Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
22 Yasuní National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%
23 Iguaçu National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
24 Tijuca National Park 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
25 Iguazú National Park 🇦🇷 Argentina
<5%
26 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
<5%
27 Farallones de Cali National Natural Park 🇨🇴 Colombia
<5%
28 Parque Natural Metropolitano 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Barranquilla 🇨🇴 Colombia
~30%
2 São Luís 🇧🇷 Brazil
~20%
3 Recife 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
4 Asuncion 🇵🇾 Paraguay
~10%
5 Santa Cruz de la Sierra 🇧🇴 Bolivia
~10%
6 Maceió 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
7 Vitória 🇧🇷 Brazil
~10%
8 João Pessoa 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
9 Fortaleza 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%
10 Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Brazil
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Pairi Daiza 🇧🇪 Belgium In captivity
2 Prague Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
3 Zlín-Lešná Zoo 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
4 Zoo Pilsen 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
5 African Lion Safari 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
6 Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
7 Reptile Gardens 🇺🇸 United States In captivity
8 Bioparc Fuengirola 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
9 Rákosův pavilon 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
10 Velemlokárium 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity
11 Snakeroom Serpentarium 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture in Bogota?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture sighting in Bogota on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 172nd most-seen of the 231 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture in Bogota?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture in Bogota on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture?

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.

Is Bogota the best place to see a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture?

16th of 18

Of the 18 cities where we can rate Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture sightings, Bogota ranks 16th at under 5%. The best odds are in Barranquilla (Colombia, about 30%), São Luís (Brazil, about 20%) and Recife (Brazil, about 10%).

Where does the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture is recorded against all the birds logged in Bogota (25 verified sightings), 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.

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