Editorial photo #13909130 Human Interest
Birds Costa Rica King Vultures
An adult king vulture (Sarcoramphus papa) interacts with a juvenile near Boca Tapada in the San Carlos canton of Alajuela province, Costa Rica, on June 30, 2026. The king vulture, one of the largest and most striking birds in the Americas, is distinguished by its vivid orange, red, and yellow head and neck, and predominantly white and black plumage. Unlike the turkey vulture, it is not known to locate carrion by smell and is believed to find food largely by following other vulture species to carcasses, where it dominates feeding sites and displaces smaller species. (Photo by Ronen Tivony/NurPhoto)
