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The king vulture (''Sarcoramphus papa'') is a large bird found in Central and South America. It is a member of the New World vulture family Cathartidae. This vulture lives predominantly in tropical lowland forests stretching from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. It is the only surviving member of the genus ''Sarcoramphus'', although fossil members are known. Large and predominantly white, the king vulture has gray to black ruff, flight, and tail feathers. The head and neck are bald, with the skin color varying, including yellow, orange, blue, purple, and red. The king vulture has a very noticeable yellow fleshy caruncle on its beak. This vulture is a scavenger and it often makes the initial cut into a fresh carcass. It also displaces smaller New World vulture species from a carcass. King vultures have been known to live for up to 30 years in captivity. King vultures were popular figures in the Mayan codices as well as in local folklore and medicine. Although currently listed as least concern by the IUCN, they are decreasing in number, due primarily to habitat loss. == Taxonomy and systematics == The king vulture was originally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his ''Systema Naturae'' as ''Vultur papa'',〔 〕 the type specimen originally collected in Suriname. It was reassigned to the genus ''Sarcoramphus'' in 1805 by French zoologist André Marie Constant Duméril. The generic name is a New Latin compound formed from the Greek words σάρξ (''sarx'', "flesh", the combining form of which is σαρκο-) and ῥάμφος (''rhamphos'', "crooked beak of bird of prey"). The genus name is often misspelled as ''Sarcorhamphus'', improperly retaining the Greek rough breathing despite agglutination with the previous word-element. The bird was also assigned to the genus ''Gyparchus'' by Constantin Wilhelm Lambert Gloger in 1841, but this classification is not used in modern literature since ''Sarcoramphus'' has priority as the earlier name. The species name is derived from Latin word ''papa'' "bishop", alluding the bird's plumage resembling the clothing of one. The king vulture's closest living relative is the Andean condor, ''Vultur gryphus''. Some authors have even put these species in a separate subfamily from the other New World vultures, though most authors consider this subdivision unnecessary.〔 There are two theories on how the king vulture earned the "king" part of its common name. The first is that the name is a reference to its habit of displacing smaller vultures from a carcass and eating its fill while they wait. An alternative theory reports that the name is derived from Mayan legends, in which the bird was a king who served as a messenger between humans and the gods.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 publisher = National Geographic )〕 This bird was also known as the "white crow" by the Spanish in Paraguay. It was called ''cozcacuauhtli'' in Nahuatl, derived from ''cozcatl'' "collar" and ''cuauhtli'' "bird of prey". The exact systematic placement of the king vulture and the remaining six species of New World vultures remains unclear.〔 Though both are similar in appearance and have similar ecological roles, the New World and Old World vultures evolved from different ancestors in different parts of the world. Just how different the two are is currently under debate, with some earlier authorities suggesting that the New World vultures are more closely related to storks. More recent authorities maintain their overall position in the order Falconiformes along with the Old World vultures〔Sibley, Charles G., and Ahlquist, Jon E.. 1991. ''(Phylogeny and Classification of Birds: A Study in Molecular Evolution )''. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-04085-7. Retrieved 11 April 2007.〕 or place them in their own order, Cathartiformes.〔Ericson, Per G. P.; Anderson, Cajsa L.; Britton, Tom; Elżanowski, Andrzej; Johansson, Ulf S.; Kallersjö, Mari; Ohlson, Jan I.; Parsons, Thomas J.; Zuccon, Dario & Mayr, Gerald (2006): Diversification of Neoaves: integration of molecular sequence data and fossils. ''Biology Letters'' online: 1–5. (PDF preprint )〕 The South American Classification Committee has removed the New World vultures from Ciconiiformes and instead placed them in ''Incertae sedis'', but notes that a move to Falconiformes or Cathartiformes is possible.〔Remsen, J. V., Jr.; C. D. Cadena; A. Jaramillo; M. Nores; J. F. Pacheco; M. B. Robbins; T. S. Schulenberg; F. G. Stiles; D. F. Stotz & K. J. Zimmer. 2007. (''A classification of the bird species of South America.'' ) South American Classification Committee. Retrieved on 15 October 2007〕 Like other New World vultures, the king vulture has a diploid chromosome number of 80. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「King vulture」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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