Cathartes Jota, Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 23.
Cathartes atratus, Swains and Richards, Fauna Boreali-Americ. Part 11. p. 6.
Vultur Jota, Gmel. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 247.
Black Vulture or Carrion Crow, Vultur atratus, Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. ix. p. 104. PI. 75. fig. 2—Nuttall, Manual, p. 46.
Adult Male. Plate CVI. Fig. 1.
Bill elongated, rather stout, straight at the base, slightly compressed; the upper mandible covered to the middle by the cere, broad, curved, and acute at the end, the edge doubly undulated. Nostrils medial, approximate, linear, pervious. Head elongated, neck longish, body robust. Feet strong; tarsus roundish, covered with small rhomboidal scales; toes scutellate above, the middle one much longer, the lateral nearly equal, second and third united at the base by a web. Claws arched, strong, rather obtuse.
Plumage rather compact, with ordinary lustre. The head and upper part of the neck are destitute of feathers, having a black, rugose, carunculated skin, sparsely covered with short hairs, and downy behind. Wings ample, long, the first quill rather short, third and fourth longest. Tail longish, even, or very slightly emarginated at the end, of twelve broad, straight, feathers.
Bill greyish-yellow at the end, dusky at the base, as is the corrugated skin of the head and neck. Iris reddish-brown. Feet yellowish-grey; claws black. The general colour of the plumage is dull-black, slightly glossed with blue; the primary quills light brownish on the inside.
Length 26 inches; extent of wings 54; bill 2½; tarsus 3½; middle toe 4.
Adult Female. Plate CVII. Fig. 2.
The female resembles the male in external appearance, and is rather less.
