Greater Yellow-headed Vulture vs Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Greater Yellow-headed Vulture

Cathartes melambrotus

Large1.4 kgForest

The greater yellow-headed vulture is 64–75 centimetres (25–30 in) in length, with a wingspan of 166–178 centimetres (65–70 in), a tail length of 25–29 centimetres (9.8–11.4 in) and a weight averaging 1.65 kilograms (3.6 lb). Its plumage is black with a green or purple sheen. The throat and the sides of the head are featherless. The skin on the head ranges in color from deep yellow to pale orange with a blue crown. The nape and the area near the nostrils are pale pinkish. The undersides of the wings are black, while the flight feathers are a lighter shade.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Sidnei Dantas · CC BY 2.0

Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture

Cathartes burrovianus

Large935 gGrassland

This is the lightest and smallest of the extant New World vultures despite sometimes measuring at least as long and longer winged than black vultures. The lesser yellow-headed vulture is 53–66 cm (21–26 in) in length, with a wingspan of 150–165 cm (59–65 in) and a tail length of 19–24 cm (7.5–9.4 in). Its weight ranges from 0.95 to 1.55 kg (2.1 to 3.4 lb). Its plumage is black with a green sheen. The throat and the sides of the head are featherless. The head and neck are bare of feathers, and the skin is yellow, with a reddish forehead and nape and a gray-blue crown.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Arjan Haverkamp from Amsterdam, The Netherlands · CC BY 2.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Greater Yellow-headed Vulture and Lesser Yellow-headed Vulture.