The king vulture is a large scavenging bird. The body is large, with a body length of about 78 cm. The head is bare, and the colors are very bright and eye-catching. The sac is well developed. The tail is short. It has no feathers on its head and neck,** and comes in a variety of colours, including yellow, orange, blue, purple and red. Gray or black bands on the upper body, wings and tail feathers. There is a yellow crown of flesh on the beak.
King vultures usually live in tropical rainforests, but also migrate with the seasons. During their migration, king vultures usually choose habitats with large carrion resources for adequate energy replenishment. The king vulture is a scavenging bird that feeds mainly on carrion. Due to their digestive system's ability to digest carrion efficiently, they can survive in environments where food is scarce. In order to obtain more carrion, the king vulture will sometimes stalk other large birds of prey, such as the American eagle, in order to pick up its leftover food.
After ingesting carrion, the king vulture begins the digestive process by regulating the secretion of gastric juice. Their gastric juice is strongly acidic, which kills ingested bacteria and prevents the onset of disease. At the same time, gastric juice is also highly corrosive, which can easily digest the macromolecular substances in carrion, converting them into small molecule parts, which is conducive to absorption and digestion. Inside the vulture's stomach, there are microbial communities that help the vulture digest carrion. Through its symbiotic relationship with these microorganisms, the king vulture is able to digest food more efficiently and obtain energy and nutrients from it.
Although king vultures usually live alone, they congregate when looking for food. When a food resource is discovered, the king vulture makes a loud call to attract other birds to come and share the food. This swarm behavior helps to increase the survival probability of the king vulture.
The king vulture has a strong ability to fly and can glide through the air for hours without flapping its wings once. This ability to fly helps them keep their energy expenditure to a minimum when searching for food and evading predators. The vulture is very territorial, and usually occupies a specific territory and moves within it. If other birds try to enter their territory, the king vulture will show strong aggression.
The natural predators of the king vulture include large animals such as jaguars, pythons, and snakes. These predators prey on the eggs and chicks of the king vulture, threatening its survival. In addition, in order to repel predators, the king vulture will defecate and vomit around the nest in order to deter predators"Smell"The wind escaped. When they spot a potential predator or feel threatened, they choose to stay high around their nest or on tree branches, which helps them better observe their surroundings and more easily perceive threats.
Next, the king vulture will swoop down from a high place or from a tree branch while spraying feces and vomit into the air during the flight. These excrements disperse in the air, forming a substance with a strong odor that can effectively repel some predators. In addition, the king vulture will use its sound to warn other animals. When they defecate and vomit around the nest, they make a special call that can be heard by other animals and interpreted as a threatening signal.