Coragyps occidentalis (SciiFii)

The western black vulture (Coragyps occidentalis), also known as the Pleistocene black vulture (due to originally living during the Pleistocene), is a species of New World vulture of the family Cathartidae that originally lived in Pleistocene North America and was once extinct, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced throughout the open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, deserts, hills, and mountains across central, southern, southwestern, and western United States and throughout Mexico to help boost biodiversity. Despite the similar name and appearance, this species, along with the American black vulture (Coragyps atratus), is unrelated to the Eurasian black vulture, an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae (which includes eagles, hawks, kites, and harriers). It inhabits relatively open areas which provide scattered forests or shrublands. With a wingspan of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet), the black vulture is a large bird though relatively small for a vulture. It has black plumage, a featherless, grayish-black head and neck, and a short, hooked beak. The western black vulture is a scavenger and feeds on carrion, but will also eat eggs or kill newborn animals (livestock such as cattle). In areas populated by humans, it also feeds at garbage dumps. It finds its meals either by using its keen eyesight or by following other (New World) vultures, which possess a keen sense of smell. Lacking a syrinx—the vocal organ of birds—its only vocalizations are grunts or low hisses. It lays its eggs in caves or hollow trees or on the bare ground, and generally raises two chicks each year, which it feeds by regurgitation. The conservation status of the western black vulture is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the western black vulture's wide natural range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.