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48-470: Cathartes Coragyps Gymnogyps Sarcoramphus Vultur Cathartidae , known commonly as New World vultures or condors , are a family of birds of prey consisting of seven extant species in five genera . It includes five extant vultures and two extant condors found in the Americas . They are known as "New World" vultures to distinguish them from Old World vultures , with which

96-549: A bald head , devoid of feathers to prevent rotting matter from accumulating while feeding, and an extremely disease-resistant digestive system to protect against scavenging-related germs. The family Cathartidae was introduced (as the subfamily Cathartinae) by the French ornithologist Frédéric de Lafresnaye in 1839. The New World vultures comprise seven species in five genera, being Coragyps , Cathartes , Gymnogyps , Sarcoramphus , and Vultur . Of these, only Cathartes

144-576: A part of a new order Accipitriformes or part of an order (Cathartiformes) closely related to, but distinct from, other birds of prey. New World vultures are a sister group to Accipitriformes, a group consisting of Accipitridae, the osprey and secretarybird . Both groups are basal members of the recently recognized clade Afroaves . The fossil history of the Cathartidae is complex, and many taxa that may possibly have been New World vultures have at some stage been treated as early representatives of

192-559: A series of continental glaciations in the Quaternary Period that followed. In ICS terminology, from upper (later, more recent) to lower (earlier): The Pliocene Epoch is subdivided into two ages: The Miocene Epoch is subdivided into six ages: In different geophysical regions of the world, other regional names are also used for the same or overlapping ages and other timeline subdivisions. The terms Neogene System (formal) and Upper Tertiary System (informal) describe

240-438: A single incomplete row of eyelashes on the upper lid and two rows on the lower lid, while Gymnogyps , Vultur , and Sarcoramphus lack eyelashes altogether. New World vultures have the unusual habit of urohidrosis , or defecating on their legs to cool them evaporatively . As this behavior is also present in storks, it is one of the arguments for a close relationship between the two groups. New World vultures are restricted to

288-441: A stiff tail, suitable for soaring. They are the best adapted to soaring of all land birds. The feet are clawed but weak and not adapted to grasping. The front toes are long with small webs at their bases. No New World vulture possesses a syrinx , the vocal organ of birds. Therefore, the voice is limited to infrequent grunts and hisses. The beak is slightly hooked and is relatively weak compared with those of other birds of prey. This

336-427: Is because it is adapted to tear the weak flesh of partially rotted carrion, rather than fresh meat. The nostrils are oval and set in a soft cere . The nasal passage is perforate , not divided by a septum , so that when looking from the side, one can see through the beak. The eyes are prominent, and, unlike those of eagles, hawks, and falcons, they are not shaded by a brow bone. Members of Coragyps and Cathartes have

384-409: Is commonly represented, with its glyph being easily distinguishable by the knob on the bird's beak and by the concentric circles that represent the bird's eyes. It is sometimes portrayed as a god with a human body and a bird head. According to Mayan mythology, this god often carried messages between humans and the other gods. It is also used to represent Cozcaquauhtli, the thirteenth day of the month in

432-481: Is due to the comparatively fine divisibility of time units as time approaches the present, and due to geological preservation that causes the youngest sedimentary geological record to be preserved over a much larger area and to reflect many more environments than the older geological record. By dividing the Cenozoic Era into three (arguably two) periods ( Paleogene , Neogene, Quaternary ) instead of seven epochs,

480-491: Is known from Late Quaternary fossil remains from Cuba , and it likely went extinct following the extinction of the megafauna whose carrion it would have fed on during the Quaternary extinction event, coupled with the subsequent loss of the savanna habitats it would have favored. All Cathartes species have featherless heads with brightly colored skin, yellow to orange in the yellow-headed vultures, bright red in

528-410: Is not monotypic . The family's scientific name, Cathartidae, comes from cathartes , Greek for "purifier". Although New World vultures and Old World vultures are not very closely related, they share many resemblances because of convergent evolution . Phylogenetic analyses including all Cathartidae species found two primary clades. The first consists of black vultures ( Coragyps atratus ) together with

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576-702: Is often seen as an analogous climate to the projected climate of the near future as a result of anthropogenic global warming . Towards the end of the Pliocene, decreased heat transport towards the Antarctic resulting from a weakening of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) cooled the Earth, a process that exacerbated itself in a positive feedback as sea levels dropped and the ITF diminished and further limited

624-482: Is the only genus in its family that is not monotypic . The New World and Old World vultures are similar in appearance and have similar ecological roles , but evolved from different ancestors in widely separated parts of the world. The relationships between the two vulture groups is a matter of debate, with some earlier authorities suggesting that the New World vultures are more closely related to storks . In 2007

672-583: The American Ornithologists' Union 's North American checklist moved Cathartidae back into the lead position in Falconiformes , but with an asterisk that indicates it is a taxon "that is probably misplaced in the current phylogenetic listing but for which data indicating proper placement are not yet available". The AOU's draft South American checklist places the Cathartidae in their own order, Cathartiformes. However, recent DNA study on

720-537: The Mayan calendar . Meanwhile, the American black vulture is normally connected with death or shown as a bird of prey, and its glyph is often depicted attacking humans. This species lacks the religious connections that the king vulture has. While some of the glyphs clearly show the American black vulture's open nostril and hooked beak, some are assumed to be this species because they are vulture-like, painted black, and lack

768-793: The Paleogene . The Early Miocene was relatively cool; Early Miocene mid-latitude seawater and continental thermal gradients were already very similar to those of the present. During the Middle Miocene , Earth entered a warm phase known as the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO), which was driven by the emplacement of the Columbia River Basalt Group . Around 11 Ma, the Middle Miocene Warm Interval gave way to

816-757: The turkey vulture . All three species share a well-developed sense of smell, which is rare in birds, that enables them to locate carrion under the canopy. The vultures of Cathartes mosty occupy forests of the Americas, especially Mexico, Central America, and South America. While all species obtain most of their diet by scavenging, the lesser yellow-headed vulture is known to hunt live prey in wetland environments. Neogene During this period, mammals and birds continued to evolve into modern forms, while other groups of life remained relatively unchanged. The first humans ( Homo habilis ) appeared in Africa near

864-515: The California and Andean condors, both of which can reach 120 centimeters (48 inches) in length and weigh 12 or more kilograms (26 or more pounds). Plumage is predominantly black or brown, and is sometimes marked with white. All species have featherless heads and necks. In some, this skin is brightly colored, and in the king vulture it is developed into colorful wattles and outgrowths. All New World vultures have long, broad wings and

912-493: The Cathartidae does not form a single clade despite the two being similar in appearance and behavior as a result of convergent evolution . Like other vultures , New World vultures are scavengers , having evolved to feed off of the carcasses of dead animals without any notable ill effects. Some species of New World vulture have a good sense of smell, whereas Old World vultures find carcasses exclusively by sight. Other adaptations shared by both Old and New World vultures include

960-505: The Miocene-Pliocene boundary. The first hominins , the ancestors of humans, may have appeared in southern Europe and migrated into Africa. The first humans (belonging to the species Homo habilis ) appeared in Africa near the end of the period. About 20 million years ago gymnosperms in the form of some conifer and cycad groups started to diversify and produce more species due to the changing conditions. In response to

1008-777: The Neogene and the Pliocene end at 2.58 Ma, that the Gelasian be transferred to the Pleistocene, and the Quaternary be recognized as the third period in the Cenozoic, citing key changes in Earth's climate, oceans, and biota that occurred 2.58 Ma and its correspondence to the Gauss-Matuyama magnetostratigraphic boundary . In 2006 ICS and INQUA reached a compromise that made Quaternary a sub-era, subdividing Cenozoic into

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1056-562: The Pliocene Warm Interval (PWI), interrupting the longer-term cooling trend. The Pliocene Thermal Maximum (PTM) occurred between 3.3 and 3.0 Ma. During the Pliocene, Green Sahara phases of wet conditions in North Africa were frequent and occurred about every 21 kyr, being especially intense when Earth's orbit's eccentricity was high. The PWI had similar levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide to contemporary times and

1104-544: The atmosphere, C 4 plants expanded and reached ecological dominance in grasslands during the last 10 million years. Also Asteraceae (daisies) went through a significant adaptive radiation . Eucalyptus fossil leaves occur in the Miocene of New Zealand, where the genus is not native today, but have been introduced from Australia. The Neogene traditionally ended at the end of the Pliocene Epoch, just before

1152-415: The body cavities of rotten meat. The regularly ingested Clostridia and Fusobacteriota outcompete other bacterial groups in the gut and become predominant. Genes that encode tissue-degrading enzymes and toxins that are associated with Clostridium perfringens have been found in the vulture gut metagenome . This supports the hypothesis that vultures do benefit from the bacterial breakdown of carrion, while at

1200-464: The cooler, seasonal climate, tropical plant species gave way to deciduous ones and grasslands replaced many forests. Grasses therefore greatly diversified, and herbivorous mammals evolved alongside it, creating the many grazing animals of today such as horses , antelope , and bison . Ice age mammals like the mammoths and woolly rhinoceros were common in Pliocene . With lower levels of CO 2 in

1248-404: The diet include fruit (especially rotten fruit) and garbage. The genus Cathartes locates carrion by detecting the scent of ethyl mercaptan , a gas produced by the bodies of decaying animals. The olfactory lobe of the brains in these species, which is responsible for processing smells, is particularly large compared to that of other animals. Other species, such as the American black vulture and

1296-709: The end of the period. Some continental movements took place, the most significant event being the connection of North and South America at the Isthmus of Panama , late in the Pliocene. This cut off the warm ocean currents from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, leaving only the Gulf Stream to transfer heat to the Arctic Ocean . The global climate cooled considerably throughout the Neogene, culminating in

1344-712: The evolutionary relationships between bird groups also suggests that they are related to the other birds of prey and should be part of a new order Accipitriformes instead, a position adopted in 2010 by the AOU's North American check-list, and shared with the International Ornithological Congress . The genus Cathartes has three recognized extant species: [REDACTED] 18,000,000 [REDACTED] 500,000-4,999,999 [REDACTED] between 100,000 and 1,000,000 One extinct species, Emslie's vulture ( C. emsliei )

1392-444: The facial skin and the large intestine. The facial bacterial flora and the gut flora overlapped somewhat, but in general, the facial flora was much more diverse than the gut flora, which is in contrast to other vertebrates, where the gut flora is more diverse. Two anaerobic faecal bacteria groups that are pathogenic in other vertebrates stood out: Clostridia and Fusobacteriota (formerly Fusobacteria). They were especially common in

1440-568: The family. There is no unequivocal European record from the Neogene . It is clear that the Cathartidae had a much higher diversity in the Plio-Pleistocene , rivalling the current diversity of Old World vultures and their relatives in shapes, sizes, and ecological niches. Extinct taxa include: New World vultures are generally large, ranging in length from the lesser yellow-headed vulture at 56–61 centimeters (22–24 inches) up to

1488-662: The food sources provided from roadkills. New World vultures and condors do not build nests, but lay eggs on bare surfaces. On average one to three eggs are laid, depending on the species. Chicks are naked on hatching and later grow down . Like most birds, the parents feed the young by regurgitation . The young are altricial , fledging in 2 to 3 months. California Condor chicks fledge anywhere from 5–6 months, while Andean condor chicks fledge anywhere from 6–10 months. All living species of New World vultures and condors are scavengers . Their diet consists primarily of carrion , and they are commonly seen near carcasses. Other additions to

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1536-447: The gut with Clostridia DNA sequence counts between 26% and 85% relative to total sequence counts, and Fusobacteriota between 0.2% and 54% in black vultures and 2% to 69% of all counts in turkey vultures. Unexpectedly, both groups of anaerobic bacteria were also found on the air-exposed facial skin samples, with Clostridia at 7%–40% and Fusobacteriota up to 23%. It is assumed that vultures acquire them when they insert their heads into

1584-467: The heat transported southward by the Leeuwin Current . By the end of the period the first of a series of glaciations of the current Ice Age began. Marine and continental flora and fauna have a modern appearance. The reptile group Choristodera went extinct in the early part of the period, while the amphibians known as Allocaudata disappeared at the end of it. Neogene also marked the end of

1632-658: The king vulture's knob. Cathartes The genus Cathartes includes medium-sized to large carrion-feeding birds in the New World vulture (Cathartidae) family. The three extant species currently classified in this genus occur widely in the Americas . There is one extinct species known from the Quaternary of Cuba . Cathartes is the Greek word καθαρτής, for "purifier," referring to these vultures' role as "cleansers" that "tidy up" decomposing corpses in nature. The first member of this genus to be formally described,

1680-426: The king vulture, have weak senses of smell and find food only by sight, sometimes by following Cathartes vultures and other scavengers. Vultures possess a very acidic digestive system, with their gut dominated by two species of anaerobic bacteria that help them withstand toxins present in decaying prey. In a 2014 study of 50 (turkey and black) vultures, researchers analyzed the microbial community or microbiome of

1728-493: The late 20th century some ornithologists argued that they are more closely related to storks on the basis of karyotype , morphological, and behavioral data. Thus some authorities placed them in the Ciconiiformes with storks and herons ; Sibley and Monroe (1990) even considered them a subfamily of the storks. This was criticized, and an early DNA sequence study was based on erroneous data and subsequently retracted. There

1776-486: The much cooler Late Miocene. The ice caps on both poles began to grow and thicken, a process enhanced by positive feedbacks from increased formation of sea ice. Between 7 and 5.3 Ma, a decrease in global temperatures termed the Late Miocene Cooling (LMC) ensued, driven by decreases in carbon dioxide concentrations. During the Pliocene, from about 5.3 to 2.7 Ma, another warm interval occurred, being known as

1824-611: The old classical Tertiary and Quaternary, a compromise that was rejected by International Union of Geological Sciences because it split both Neogene and Pliocene in two. Following formal discussions at the 2008 International Geological Congress in Oslo, Norway, the ICS decided in May 2009 to make the Quaternary the youngest period of the Cenozoic Era with its base at 2.58 Mya and including

1872-503: The older definition of the beginning of the Quaternary Period; many time scales show this division. However, there was a movement amongst geologists (particularly marine geologists ) to also include ongoing geological time (Quaternary) in the Neogene, while others (particularly terrestrial geologists) insist the Quaternary to be a separate period of distinctly different record. The somewhat confusing terminology and disagreement amongst geologists on where to draw what hierarchical boundaries

1920-628: The periods are more closely comparable to the duration of periods in the Mesozoic and Paleozoic Eras. The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) once proposed that the Quaternary be considered a sub-era (sub-erathem) of the Neogene, with a beginning date of 2.58 Ma, namely the start of the Gelasian Stage . In the 2004 proposal of the ICS, the Neogene would have consisted of the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs. The International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA) counterproposed that

1968-501: The reptilian genera Langstonia and Barinasuchus , terrestrial predators that were the last surviving members of Sebecosuchia , a group related to crocodiles. The oceans were dominated by large carnivores like megalodons and livyatans , and 19 million years ago about 70% of all pelagic shark species disappeared. Mammals and birds continued to be the dominant terrestrial vertebrates, and took many forms as they adapted to various habitats. An explosive radiation of ursids took place at

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2016-622: The rocks deposited during the Neogene Period . The continents in the Neogene were very close to their current positions. The Isthmus of Panama formed, connecting North and South America . The Indian subcontinent continued to collide with Asia , forming the Himalayas . Sea levels fell, creating land bridges between Africa and Eurasia and between Eurasia and North America. The global climate became more seasonal and continued an overall drying and cooling trend which began during

2064-426: The same time tolerating the bacterial toxins. The California condor is critically endangered . It formerly ranged from Baja California to British Columbia, but by 1937 was restricted to California. In 1987, all surviving birds were removed from the wild into a captive breeding program to ensure the species' survival. In 2005, there were 127 Californian condors in the wild. As of October 31, 2009 there were 180 birds in

2112-490: The three Cathartes species (lesser yellow-headed vultures (C. burrovianus) , greater yellow-headed vultures (C. melambrotus) , and turkey vultures ( C. aura) ), while the second consists of king vultures ( Sarcoramphus papa ), California condors ( Gymnogyps californianus ) and Andean condors ( Vultur gryphus ). New World vultures were traditionally placed in a family of their own in the Falconiformes. However, in

2160-455: The turkey vulture, was named by Linnaeus as Vultur aura in his Systema Naturae in 1758, but was eventually moved to the current genus which had been created by German zoologist Johann Illiger in 1811. The yellow-headed birds first described in 1845 by John Cassin were not split into two species until 1964. Cathartes is one of the five genera of New World vultures . The taxonomic placement of these vultures remains unclear. It

2208-593: The western hemisphere, ranging from southern Canada to South America. Most species are mainly resident, but the turkey vulture breeds in Canada and the northern US and migrates south in the northern winter. New World vultures inhabit a large variety of habitats and ecosystems, ranging from deserts to tropical rainforests and at heights of sea level to mountain ranges, using their highly adapted sense of smell to locate carrion. These species of birds are also occasionally seen in human settlements, perhaps emerging to feed upon

2256-517: The wild. The Andean condor is vulnerable . The American black vulture, turkey vulture, lesser yellow-headed vulture, and greater yellow-headed vulture are listed as species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List . The king vulture is also listed as Least Concern, although there is evidence of a decline in the population. The American black vulture and the king vulture appear in a variety of Maya hieroglyphs in Mayan codices . The king vulture

2304-490: Was then an attempt to raise the New World vultures to the rank of an independent order, Cathartiformes, not closely associated with either the birds of prey or the storks and herons. Recent multi-locus DNA studies on the evolutionary relationships between bird groups indicate that New World vultures are related to the other birds of prey, excluding the Falconidae. This analysis argues that New World vultures should either be

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