Black Vulture - Coragyps atratus
Black Vultures are large, but compact raptors. They have small, bare, black heads with narrow but strongly hooked bills. Feathers are black, except for white patches on the underside of their wingtips.
I spotted these vultures on the roof of an old building on the edge of town. They are frequently seen in this spot in groups of up to 20. It's not uncommon to see at least 10 of them snuggling on top of this chimney. These birds are relative newcomers to Connecticut as they were once an exclusively southern species.
The black vulture is a bird in the New World vulture family whose range extends from the southeastern United States to Peru, Central Chile and Uruguay in South America. Although a common and widespread species, it has a somewhat more restricted distribution than its compatriot, the turkey vulture, which breeds well into Canada and south to Tierra del Fuego.
