Lesser Yellow-Headed Vulture

A vulture of open wetlands, savanna and river valleys from Mexico through much of South America, distinguished from its more widespread relative by a bright yellow-and-orange head and lower, more buoyant flight over open ground. It soars low while scanning for carrion, tilting and wobbling in the air in a distinctive unsteady glide, and is often seen over marshes and grassland rather than forest. Open wetland margins in the early morning, when thermals first begin to build, are a reliable place to watch it hunting.