King Vulture

The King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) is the largest Costa Rican vulture and it is found in Central and South America. Is a solitary bird and lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests. In Costa Rica, it specially lives on Peninsula of Osa. King Vulture’s size is 81 cm (32 inches) and its weight is 3.5 kg.

The adult king vulture has predominantly white plumage, which has a slight rose-yellow tinge to it. Younger vultures are a slate gray overall. The bird has broad wings and a short, broad, and squaretail. Its colorful head has orange, yellow, blue and white. The vulture’s head and neck are featherless as an adaptation for hygiene, this lack of feathers prevents bacteria from the carrion it eats.