king vulture

noun

1. a large, black-and-white vulture, Sarcorhamphus papa, of Central and South America, having colorful wattles and wartlike protuberances on its head and neck.

Word History and Origins

Origin of king vulture¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

"We would like to see the Asian king vulture soar once again through the skies of Thailand," he said.

From Reuters

John likes things like king vultures and alligators.

From Literature

You also sometimes get king vultures there - but the only vulture these days at Bharatpur are Egyptian vultures.

From BBC

His king vulture, Maloney, lovingly groomed his mustache with its enormous beak.

From The New Yorker

He wore a head-dress of king vulture plumes, and was otherwise distinguished by his costume.

From Project Gutenberg