Cathartes Aura and the Apocalypse Zoo by Eighty Six

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. 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. It is the only genus in its family that is not monotypic. The taxonomic placement of these vultures remains unclear. Systematics Ĭathartes is one of the five genera of New World vultures. The yellow-headed birds first described in 1845 by John Cassin were not split into two species until 1964. The first member of this genus to be formally described, 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. Ĭathartes is the Greek word καθαρτής, for 'purifier,' referring to these vultures' role as 'cleansers' that 'tidy up' decomposing corpses in nature. There is one extinct species known from the Quaternary of Cuba.

The three extant species currently classified in this genus occur widely in the Americas. The genus Cathartes includes medium-sized to large carrion-feeding birds in the New World vulture (Cathartidae) family. Green indicates that at least one species is resident year-round and yellow shows areas where one species, the turkey vulture, is a summer-only breeding visitor. Approximate distribution of the genus Cathartes.

Cathartes Aura and the Apocalypse Zoo by Eighty Six