Sarcoramphus Explained

Sarcoramphus is a genus of New World vulture that contains a single extant species, the king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa).

Extinct members of the genus include the Kern vulture (Sarcoramphus kernense) from the mid-Pliocene of North America,^[1] and Sarcoramphus fischeri from the Late Pleistocene of Peru.^[2]

A hypothetical species known as the painted vulture is also assigned to this genus, but no concrete proof of its existence has been found as of yet.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Miller, Loye H. . 1931. Bird Remains from the Kern River Pliocene of California. The Condor. 33. 2. 70–72. 10.2307/1363312. 1363312.
2. Book: Wilbur, Sanford . Vulture Biology and Management . University of California Press . Berkeley . 1983 . 12. 0-520-04755-9 .
3. Snyder . N. F. R. . Fry . J. T. . 2013 . Validity of Bartram's Painted Vulture . Zootaxa . 3613 . 1 . 61–82. 10.11646/zootaxa.3613.1.3 . 24698902 . 5536272 .