King Vulture
Sarcoramphus papa
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyCathartidae (New World Vultures)
- GenusSarcoramphus
- SpeciesSarcoramphus papa (King Vulture)
Closest Relatives at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
American Swallow-tailed Kite
Elanoides forficatus
Ornate Hawk-Eagle
Spizaetus ornatus
Common Black-Hawk
Buteogallus anthracinus
Broad-winged Hawk
Buteo platypterus
Gray-lined Hawk
Buteo nitidus
Great Black-Hawk
Buteogallus urubitinga
Short-tailed Hawk
Buteo brachyurus
White Hawk
Leucopternis albicollis
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
Barred Hawk
Leucopternis princeps
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a King Vulture in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?
About 1% of visitor-days record a King Vulture sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, based on 93 observer-days of citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to see King Vulture in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?
February has the highest sighting rate for King Vulture in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in our monthly data.