King Vulture
In the Mountain Pine Ridge. The King Vultures name (Sarcoramphus papa) translates to Father of the Coffin . There are a lot of superstitions connected to this bird.
The King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa), with a wingspan of up to 7 feet, is essentially a condor (its nearest relative being the Andean condor) and is easily the largest of the four vulture species in Belize. It has a huge non-migratory range of over 5.5 million sq miles extending from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, but always below 1500m in lowland forest- here it can sometimes be seen soaring over the savannahs, but it prefers emergent forest canopies from where it will target carcasses displacing the other vulture species so it can feed on the skin and harder tissues of carrion uninterrupted.
The ancient Maya saw the vultures as important entities in their daily lives as symbols of cleanliness and renewal, believing these birds could transform death into life. In particular, the King vulture is associated with Maya funeral traditions and is believed to carry carries messages between humans and the Yuumstilo'ob, the Yucatec Maya name for the different manifestations of the same energy force of the Great Spirit which made the world and the universe.
Top photograph by Chris West, the next two are by Tony Rath.
Click here to comment on this picture.
Belize Slideshow