In North America, black vultures are year-round residents in the southern states. Since the 1940s, black vultures have expanded their range northward. This expansion exposes them to periods of extreme weather. Currently, most black vultures in the northernmost part of their range migrate south during the winter.
- Most black vultures are year-round residents
- Birds in the northern part of their range migrate south
- Some birds stay in the north year-round
- Migratory black vultures winter in southern states
- Resident birds infrequently move long distances
- Black vultures are likely to migrate in flocks
- The black vulture is most common in Florida and Texas
Do Black Vultures migrate in the winter?
The black vulture is a year-round resident in most of its range. Many vultures migrate south from the northern part of their range during the cold winter months, but some birds stay year-round and only move south pushed by extreme weather fronts.
No study has approximated latitudinal boundaries before or after which black vultures tend to stay or migrate south. The more likely scenario is that birds from the more northerly reaches of the vulture’s range are obligate migrants, while those further to the south tend to stay year-round.
According to observations reported to the birding portal eBird, most black vultures migrate south during the winter months from New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
Where do black vultures go in the winter?
The destinations of migratory black vultures are not known with certainty. No mark and recapture study has been conducted on migrating black vultures.
Nonetheless, wintering grounds are likely presumed from changes in black vulture abundance in the north and in the south.
Black vulture populations increase in southern and central Texas, Alabama, Georgia, parts of Florida, and Tennessee during October, November, December, and January, presumably due to the influx of wintering birds.
In the north, these months coincide with a decline in black vulture numbers.
Lingering black vultures in the north move south only shorter distances in response to extreme weather events and return as soon as weather conditions improve.
A rough estimate of how far black vultures migrate. The distances were calculated from approximate central points of origin to similar ones in the destinations, as the crow flies.
| Summer to Wintering Grounds | Distance in Miles |
| Massachusetts to Central Texas | 1,650 |
| Central Ohio to North Florida | 800 |
| New York to Central Alabama | 1,100 |
| Indiana to Louisiana | 570 |
Do black vultures migrate in flocks?
Little is known about black vulture migration patterns. They, forage, move about, feed, and roost in groups of varying sizes. While a flock does not necessarily indicate that those birds are migrating it is likely that they also migrate in flocks.
Black vultures are more visible around 4 hours after sunrise, which is when flocks begin to form. Four hours after sunrise is when the sun begins to warm up the air and thermals begin to form.
Black vultures leave their roosts seeking thermals to gain altitude as they fly to their feeding sites or forage for food. Hence, flocks of vultures flying in one direction may appear to be migrating.
The closely related turkey vultures gather in large flocks to undergo their long-distance annual migration.
Black vulture movements
Black vultures are mostly resident birds that move short distances. Nevertheless, some individuals are capable of occasional long-distance movements.
A long-term study in the 1930s through the 1950s captured and banded approximately 22,600 black vultures in Louisiana. A total of 840 banded individuals (84%) were recovered, mostly within 160 km of the banding site. Other birds were recaptured within closer distances.
A second study banded and released 992 black vultures. A total of 87 birds were recaptured, most within only 80 km of the initial banding site.
Six birds were recovered at longer distances than the rest. Four birds were recovered within 480 km and two within 1,160 km from the banding site.
These studies suggest that while most black vultures are year-round residents in relatively small areas, some are capable of long-distance movement.
These movements do not constitute migratory movements because they do not take place seasonally every year.
Little is known about the movements of black vultures in Central and South America. Anecdotal evidence, including seasonal changes in the black vulture abundance, suggests that resident populations engage in movements throughout an annual cycle.
Is the black vulture considered a migratory bird?
Under the popular definition of the term, the black vulture is a resident bird with migratory populations in its northern range. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, the black vulture is considered a migratory bird.
Under the general definition of a migratory bird: A migratory bird is one that migrates/moves from one place to another at regular intervals, over long and short distances.
The definition of “migratory bird” under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (North America’s foremost bird protection statute), has specific standards. A migratory bird must meet one or more of the following criteria:
It occurs in the United States or U.S. territories as the result of natural biological or ecological processes and is currently, or was previously listed as, a species or part of a family protected by one of the four international treaties or their amendments.
Revised taxonomy results in it being newly split from a species that was previously on the list, and the new species occurs in the United States or U.S. territories as the result of natural biological or ecological processes.
New evidence exists for its natural occurrence in the United States or U.S. territories resulting from natural distributional changes and the species occurs in a protected family.
Accordingly, all bird species native to the U.S., including the black vulture, are considered migratory birds and are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.
Where do black vultures live?
Black vultures live in open and semi-open habitats in the South and the eastern United States. Flocks of varying sizes can be seen in urban and suburban areas, farm and agricultural land, landfills, and anywhere that offer a reliable food source.
Black vultures are common and widespread in Mexico, Central, and South America.
The black vulture population in North America has been expanding northward. It was not previously known that the species ranged as far north as Virginia, but its first nesting record was recorded there in 1930.
Over the next 20 years, black vultures expanded further north. By the 1950s, they were breeding in Maryland and Delaware. Nesting records for Connecticut were confirmed in 2002.
In 2014, breeding records were confirmed in Washington, D.C., and in 2020 in Vermont. Black vultures seem to be expanding their range further north and west.
There is little understanding of the reasons for such continuous range expansion of black vulture populations. The leading presumed reason for such expansion may be the continuous increase in average temperatures resulting from climate change.
The average seasonal temperature plays an important role in determining bird distribution and range limits. Black vultures are tropical birds whose range is northernmost in the South of the U.S.
Black vultures are likely to occupy more open and semi-open habitats north and west as seasonal average temperatures rise.
References:
- Buckley, N. J., B. M. Kluever, R. Driver, and S. A. Rush (2022). Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus), version 2.0. In Birds of the World (P. G. Rodewald and B. K. Keeney, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA.
- Handley, C. O. (1931). The Black Vulture in Greenbriar County, West Virginia. Auk 48:598–599
- Kirk, D. A., and A. G. Gosler (1994). Body condition varies with migration and competition in migrant and resident South American vultures. Auk 111:931–942.
- Parmalee, P. W., and B. G. Parmalee (1967). Results of banding studies of the Black Vulture in eastern North America. Condor 69:146–155.
- Stolen, E. D., and W. K. Taylor (2003). Movements of Black Vultures between communal roosts in Florida. Wilson Bulletin 115:316–320.