Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture
Cathartes burrovianus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyCathartidae (New World Vultures)
- GenusCathartes (Turkey and Yellow-headed Vultures)
- SpeciesCathartes burrovianus (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. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture sighting in Madidi National Park, based on 31 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Madidi National Park
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Greater Yellow-headed Vulture
Cathartes melambrotus
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
King Vulture
Sarcoramphus papa
Andean Condor
Vultur gryphus
Roadside Hawk
Rupornis magnirostris
Plumbeous Kite
Ictinia plumbea
White Hawk
Leucopternis albicollis
American Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
Double-toothed Kite
Harpagus bidentatus
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
Spizaetus ornatus
Great Black-Hawk
Buteogallus urubitinga
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture in Madidi National Park?
About 4% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture sighting in Madidi National Park, based on 31 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture in Madidi National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture in Madidi National Park in our monthly data.