12 Nebraskaland • July 2022
IN THE FIELD
A rare black vulture found at Merganser Lake. STEVE KRUSE
Spring is a period when many birds are on
the move. This means it is a great time of year
for birders to be on the lookout for rarities or
vagrants. A rarity is a bird that usually appears
somewhere outside of its normal range. Finding a
rarity sometimes requires special effort, but other
times, it's just luck.
On April 26, birder and photographer Steve
Kruse discovered a vulture on the ground at
Merganser Recreation Area in southwestern
Lancaster County. As he drove up, the bird did not
fly immediately as expected but remained on the
ground and posed for a few close-up shots. The
bird's appearance also did not appear to match
the expected species, the turkey vulture. After
some study, Kruse determined that the bird at
Merganser Lake was in fact a black vulture. Tom
White, another birder, also submitted photos of a
black vulture the same morning.
Although a black vulture may not be the most
attractive find, its occurrence in the state is
notable. There are only two other accepted records
of this species in Nebraska. Those two records are
separated by a century: the first was in 1916 and
the second in 2017.
Black vulture is common over much of the
southern United States and all the way down
to southern South America. Its numbers have
increased, and its range has expanded steadily
to the north in recent decades. The black vulture
regularly occurs as close to Nebraska as central
Missouri, and although rare, a black vulture in
Nebraska is not unexpected. It is reasonable to
assume that black vulture records in our state
will occur more frequently in the future as this
species continues to increase in numbers and
move north. More information about the black
vulture can be found online at Birds of Nebraska:
Birds.OutdoorNebraska.gov/black-vulture.
Joel Jorgensen is the nongame bird program manager
for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.
By Joel Jorgensen
NEBRASKA'S THIRD BLACK VULTURE
