King Vulture is not universally listed endangered because they live in so specific places!
These large birds live in the uppermost branches of emergent canopy trees anywhere from Mexico to central Argentina and Trinidad. They perch high up in these trees so that they have a great view of what is going on below them. They have excellent eyesight and rely on it to watch out for other vultures that have spotted carrion. The king vulture's sense of smell is not as good as that of other types of vultures, so they do not always use it to detect food. When it sees that other scavenger birds have discovered a meal, they shoot down from the sky and push the others out of the way. All of the other species vultures are quick to move aside for the "king."
Though the species is not universally listed as endangered, the populations of king vultures are in decline due to habitat destruction. These royal birds cannot survive if the forests they call home disappear.
