The Story
I photographed this Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes burrovianus) at Hacienda El Escobal in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia. It feeds on carrion and finds carcasses by sight and by smell, an ability that is rare in birds. It prefers savannas, while the Greater Yellow-headed Vulture prefers forest. It glides low over wetlands looking for food and perches on fence posts and other low perches. It usually travels alone and is rarely seen in groups. Cortolima lists El Escobal, on the Meseta de Ibagué, among the city’s 13 priority birding routes. Hacienda El Escobal is part of the Picaleña lagoon complex, and by eBird’s December 2021 data 309 bird species had been reported there.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/2500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200. IUCN lists the Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture as Least Concern, with a stable population.
©2019 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture (Cathartes burrovianus) belongs to the family Cathartidae (New World Vultures) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2021), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List