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- Title
LESSER YELLOW-HEADED VULTURE MANDIBULAR ECOMORPHOLOGY AND FEEDING INTERACTIONS AT AN ESTABLISHED FEEDING SITE IN BELIZE.
- Authors
Eitniear, Jack C.; McGehee, Steven M.
- Abstract
Observations were made of foraging lesser yellow-headed vultures (Cathartes burrovianus), turkey vultures (Cathartes aura), and black vultures (Coragyps atratus) 9-30 May 1983 near Crooked Tree village at Crooked Tree Lagoon (N 17° 50' 25" W 88° 31'25"), 55 km northwest of Belize City, Belize, Central America. Feeding observations were made using fish as bait at an established feeding sight during daylight hours (180 total observation hours) to determine foraging and competitive interactions between species. Foraging bouts totaled 3,156 min, with lesser yellow-headed vultures arriving first at a provisioned carcass in 15 of 21 gatherings (71%) and turkey vultures arriving first the remaining 6 times (29%). Larger species (turkey vulture) displaced smaller species (lesser yellow-headed and black vultures) more often than expected (75 instances), and conversely, smaller species displaced larger species less often than expected (2 instances). Mandible analysis of 12 specimens of turkey and lesser yellow-headed vultures (at Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Sciences, Baton Rouge, LA) concluded there was no difference in variance between turkey vultures and lesser yellow-headed vultures in bill height (n=24, f=0.50, P=0.26) nor bill length (n=25, f=0.58, P=0.37). However, variance in bill width was significantly different (n=25,f=0.21, P<0.02). This study suggests that despite being smaller in size, the lesser yellow-headed vulture has an advantage as it arrives at carcasses first and may have a greater ability to consume more flesh due to a larger gape width.
- Subjects
BELIZE; VULTURES; BIRD morphology; TURKEY vulture; LESSER yellow-headed vulture; CORAGYPS atratus; FORAGING behavior; BIRDS; ANIMAL behavior
- Publication
Texas Journal of Science, 2017, Vol 69, Issue 1, p37
- ISSN
0040-4403
- Publication type
Article