Plumage, commencing on the neck with a circular ruff of rather long and projecting feathers. Head and upper part of neck, naked, or with scattering, down-like feathers, especially on the vertex, and with the skin wrinkled. Nostrils, large, oval, communicating with each other; tail, rather long, rounded.
Entire plumage, brownish black, darkest on the neck, back and tail above; many feathers having a purple lustre on the upper and under parts of the body, and with pale brownish borders on the upper parts. Bill, yellowish white; wings and tail, paler beneath. Head and neck, in living bird, bright red.
Total length of skin about 30 inches; wing, 23; tail, 12 inches.
Hab. The entire territory of the United States—rare in New England. Wisconsin, (Dr. Hoy,) Oregon, (U. S. Ex. Exp. Vincennes.) New Mexico, (Dr. Henry.) California, (Dr. Gambel.) Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. This species is abundant in the Southern, and of quite frequent occurrence in the Middle States of the Union; but it rarely visits the northeastern, or on the Atlantic, is seldom met with north of New Jersey. In the southern part of the State of Delaware, and in Maryland, it is very abundant, migrating farther south in the winter. It subsists entirely on dead animals, which it devours in every stage of decomposition or putridity.
A South American species, long considered as identical with the present bird, is now well ascertained to be distinct, and is the Vultur jota. Molina. This name has been erroneously applied to the Carrion Crow or Black Vulture of the United States. The South American species is the smaller, is more slender in all its members, and all the specimens that we have seen have been of a more uniform clear black colour.
2. Cathartes atratus. (Bartram.) The Carrion Crow. The Black Vulture. Vultur atratus. Bartram Travels, p. 289. (1791.) Vultur urubu. Vieill. Ois. d’Am. Sept., p. 53. pl. 2. (1807.)
Wilson Am. Orn. IX. pl. 75, fig. 2. Aud. B. of Am. pl. 106.
Plumage commencing higher on the back of the neck than on its sides or in front, and there consisting of short feathers. Head and naked portion of the neck, warted or corrugated, and thinly covered with short hair-like feathers, bill rather long, nostrils large, and communicating with each other; tail, even; legs, rather long.
Entire plumage, deep uniform black, with a bluish gloss; under surface of primaries nearly white.
Total length (of skin) about 23 inches, wing 16½; tail 8½ inches.
Hab. Southern States, Texas (Audubon), California, Oregon (U. S. Ex. Exp. Vincennes). Spec. in Mus. Acad. Philada.
Obs. Abundant in the Southern States, and gregarious, congregating in large numbers in the cities, where they are of service in the destruction of all descriptions of rejected or waste animal matter.
The South American bird usually regarded as identical with this bird, is the Vultur brasiliensis. Ray. It is considerably smaller, and otherwise quite distinct.
3. Cathartes californianus. (Shaw) The Californian Vulture. Vultur californianus. Shaw, Nat. Misc. IX. p. 1, pl. 301. (1797.) Vultur columbianus. Ord. Guthries’ Geog. II. p. 315. (1815.) Cathartes vulturinus. Temm. Pl. col. I. pl. 31. (1820.)
Aud. B. of Am. pl. 411. Gray Gen. of B. pl. 2. Licht. Trans. Berlin Acad. 1838, pl. 1.