The majestic Black Vulture

The black vulture (in Portuguese, urubu-da-cabeça-preta) majestically stands on the top of the food chain

in the Atlantic Forest Biome (Bioma Mata Atlântica).

This senescent Araucaria angustifolia is a most preferred perch for the black vultures around.

This other guy prefers a lower perch, and seems to like being photographed.

The scientific name is Coragyps atratus.

Coragyps is from the Greek korax, meaning "raven", gyps for "vulture".

And atratus comes from Latin for "clothed in black".

There are three subespecies of this vulture.

This one here, of course, belongs to the subespecies "brasiliensis". 

According to Pete Dunne's Birds of prey, they can reach 0,70 m in height, 1.60 m in wingspan.

Form and function are perfectly matched in the naked head and the hooked beak.

This bunch of vultures gathered around a prey.

It happened to be an unhappy armadillo.