Facts about American Black Vultures

American Black Vultures can also be referred to as simply Black Vultures, but should not be confused with the Eurasian Black Vulture (which is unrelated, the former being classified as a New World Vulture, and the latter as an Old World Vulture). They can also be called by some people, “Carrion Crows”, or “Black Buzzards” (although it should also be noted that buzzards are strictly speaking broad-winged hawks, not vultures).

American Black vultures live in the southern USA and all across Central and South America. Their preferred habitat is lowland areas, in open land with patches of woodland or brush. They also like to live along rivers, in swamps, wetlands, pastures, and grasslands. It is rare to see them in mountainous areas.

American Black Vultures have a wingspan of about 5 feet and weigh somewhere between 4 and 5 pounds. Although they are smaller than Turkey Vultures, they are more aggressive and will often drive them away from carcasses.

One of the most fascinating facts about American Black Vultures is that don’t build nests like other birds. Instead they lay their eggs in hollow tree stumps, between large rocks, and in caves, and decorate the area around with shards of glass, bright pieces of plastic, and small shiny metal objects, such as beer bottle tops. They can lay anything between one and three eggs at a time, but normally the number is two, with both parents incubating them. It takes the young about 75-80 days after hatching before they can fly well. American Black Vultures have a lifespan of about 5 years.

The American Black Vulture is a scavenger and soars high in the sky, using its keen eyesight to look for food. One of the most interesting American Black Vulture facts is that they do not have a great sense of smell, unlike some of the other New World Vultures, such as the Turkey Vulture, the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture, and the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture. They will however follow groups of these vultures in order to find food. American Black vultures eat animal carcasses of any size. They will also eat eggs or kill newborn or injured animals, such as deer, or calves. When American Black Vultures aren't flying, they will perch in groups in dead trees, or on fence posts.

American Black Vultures like living alongside humans and there are as many, if not more of them in populated areas as there are in completely wild areas, mainly because they can live off the food that humans inadvertently supply for them, such as the waste on garbage tips and animals killed by road vehicles. The number of American Black Vultures is growing, and because of climate change, they are also spreading further and further northwards.

There are three subspecies of merican Black Vulture, each with subtly different markings - The North American Black Vulture, The South American Black Vulture and the Andean Black Vulture. The North American Vulture inhabits a large area extending all the way from northern Mexico up to New Jersey. The South American Black Vulture is the smallest of the three subspecies and is found in Central American and northern South America. The Andean Black Vulture is found in the Andes mountain range.

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