The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture is the biggest, with deep wings, mostly dark underwing, lighter near body. Long tail, feet protrude past vent. Coloured head.

The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture is the smallest, with narrow wings, quite light underwing, lighter near body. Shortish tail, feet just protrude past vent. Coloured narrow head.

The Turkey Vulture has very light undersides of wing, form body to tip. Short tail. Feet do not protrude past vent. Pink head with white upper neck (sometimes).

The American Black Vulture has light “fingers”. The rest of the wing often appears dark from below. Black head.

Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Canopy Tower, Panama April 2010

Bird name: Turkey Vulture
Latin: Cathartes aura
Other: Urubu-de-cabeça-vermelha (Br) • Turkey Buzzard (US) • John Crow (Caribbean) • Aura común (Es)
Family: Cathartidae • New World Vultures
Range: Americas: Canada to Argentina, incl Panama, Ecuador, Brazil etc.
Similar: Black Vulture, Lesser Yellow Headed Vulture, Comparison

In Panama, there is only one other similar vulture with a thick white trailing band on the wing, the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, which has a yellowish, not pink, head.

Turkey Vultures can quickly be distinguished from other birds of prey at a distance by their V-shaped wings when gliding. The key fieldmark for differentiating them from other vultures is the well defined light underside of wings. Also they have pink heads.

Cathartes aura ruficollis, the indigenous Panamanian vultures pictured above and further below have light marks on the back of the neck. Large numbers of migrating Turkey Vultures can also be seen in Panama at the right time of the year.

Turkey Vultures were less common than Black-headed Vultures by the coast and in Itatiaia NP. There I saw them on three occasions, singly or in pairs, very high up or low in the forest.
In the Pantanal they were seen regularly in August 2011, but not as frequently as the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture.

In Panama, in April, the Turkey Vulture was more common than the American Black Vulture, and frequently seen in most non-urban locations. The observation deck of the Canopy Tower is a good place to get views of them soaring across the top of the forest.

Below: Turkey Vulture showing light underside of wing feathers, Pantanal, Brazil, August.
More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Pantanal, August 2011.

Bird name: Lesser Yellow Headed Vulture
Latin: Cathartes burrovianus
Other: Urubu-de-cabeça-amarela, urubu-menor-de-cabeça-amarela (Br) • Aura sabanera (Es)
Family: Cathartidae • New World Vultures
Range: Mexico, Central America, South America E of Andes, esp. Brazil, Pantanal. Lowland wet grassland, swamps, heavily degraded forest.
Similar: Greater Yellow Headed Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Comparison

The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture is the most visible vulture in the Pantanal (Turkey Vultures also seen). Seen eating at fruit feeders at Curicaca Lodge and beside the road leading to the Transpantaneira.

The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture is a smaller bird than the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture, with thinner wings and narrower head. Underside of wings lighter than GYHV but not as light as TV. Head more colourful (with yellow and blue) than Turkey Vulture. The Greater Yellow-headed Vulture is not found in the Pantanal. The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture was rare (I didn’t see one) in the forested Rio Azul lodge, southern Para.

Below: Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture, Pantanal. Lightened slightly to show wing pattern.
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Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Para, Brazil, September 2011.

Bird name: Greater Yellow Headed Vulture
Latin: Cathartes melambrotus
Other: Urubu-da-mata, urubu-maior-de-cabeça-amarela (Br) • Aura común (Es)
Family: Cathartidae • New World Vultures
Range: Northern South America, incl northern Brazil, Amazonia etc. Low altitude tropical forest.
Similar: Lesser Yellow Headed Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Comparison

Although in field guides The Greater Yellow Headed Vulture looks similar to the Lesser Yellow Headed Vulture and the Turkey Vulture, I found them quite easy to distinguish in practice.

Firstly there is not much overlap between Greater and Lesser Yellow Headed Vultures. Lesser is in the Pantanal, Greater in Amazonia, but with some Lessers near the Amazon itself.

Secondly, Greater Yellow Headed Vultures are very large birds, with very deep wings and long tails.

Thirdly, their wings are mostly dark underneath, with light patches nearest the body blending into the other darker feathers. Both the Turkey Vulture and the Lesser Yellow Headed Vulture have more delineated and lighter undersides.

The Greater Yellow Headed Vulture has a coloured head, with yellow, pink and blue parts, unlike the Turkey Vulture which is all pink-red with some white.

I saw Greater Yellow Headed Vultures flying over the Rio Azul Lodge in Para, usually around midday.

Below, Greater Yellow-headed Vulture. Photo lightened slightly to show wing pattern.
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Copyright: DK/monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Pantanal, August 2011.

Bird name: Andean Condor
Latin: Vultur gryphus
Other: Condor-dos-andes (Br) • Cóndor andino, cóndor de los Andes, condornel (Es)
Family: Cathartidae • New World Vultures
Range: Andes: (Venezuela, Colombia), Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, (also Brazil)
Similar: juvenile is dark like Black Vulture

Thanks to Dirk for these photos of the majestic Andean Condor in Peru. I saw no Condors in Ecuador at Papallacta, where they are occasionally seen. A rare bird now, classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN red list.

The adult Andean Condor has a characteristic white collar and white back of wing, unlike any other vulture. With three-metre wingspan, it is also much larger than even the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture (210cm). The juvenile, pictured above, is brown.

Below: adult Andean Condor in Peru.
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Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Iguaçu 2006 - Panama 25 April 2010

Bird name: King Vulture
Latin: Sarcoramphus papa
Other: Urubu-rei (Br) • Zamuro rey (Es)
Family: Cathartidae • Vultures

The King Vulture is the only vulture with a thick black rear wing band - the rest is white. And he has a distinctive colourful head. The range of the King Vulture extends through much of South and Central America, up to the Yucatan peninsula.

The bird in flight was seen from the top deck of the Canopy Tower in central Panama in April.More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Santa Catarina • May 2007 • Do not copy

Bird name: American Black Vulture
Latin: Coragyps atratus
Other: Black Vulture • South American Black Vulture • Urubu (Br) • Zopilote Común (Es)
Family: Cathartidae • New World Vultures
Range:
Similar: Turkey Vulture, Comparison

The American Black Vulture’s range extends from the southern US to the southernmost tip of Brazil. The Brazilian subspecies, Coragyps atratus brasiliensis, is known as the South American Black Vulture.

These photos were taken in Brazil, where the Urubu, as the bird is known locally, is a familiar sight and always to be found on beaches where fisherman operate, as well as rubbish dumps, and just “around town” generally.

American Black Vultures are large birds, with one-metre-fifty wingspans - they are elegant gliders and have a slow and lazy wingbeat. Underside of wings are lightish (but usually look black against the sky) with dark coverts and white wing tips. The uppersides are black with light wingtips (see below in “more photos”).

Not to be confused with the Eurasian Black Vulture.

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Ubatuba • October 2009 • Do not copy

More photos...

034 Family: Cathartidae • New World Vultures - IOC 2.5 - 2010
In Cathartiformes

Cathartes aura - Turkey Vulture - Widespread North America, Latin America
Cathartes burrovianus - Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture - E Mexico to N Argentina
Cathartes melambrotus - Greater Yellow-headed Vulture - Amazonia

Coragyps atratus - Black Vulture - Widespread North America, Latin America

Sarcoramphus papa - King Vulture - Mexico to N Argentina

Gymnogyps californianus - California Condor - W USA

Vultur gryphus - Andean Condor - Venezuela to S Chile & Argentina