What bird is a chombo or a sucha?

Where chombo and sucha come from

Spanish Wikipedia lists a long set of country-by-country names for the Black Vulture: zopilote, nopo, or chombo in Mexico and El Salvador; zope in Honduras and Guatemala; sucha in Bolivia; gallote in Panama; zoncho in Costa Rica and Nicaragua; gallinazo or chulo in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador; and cuervo (crow) in Argentina and Uruguay. The same source includes chombo among regional Turkey Vulture names in Mexico and Central America.

In other words, chombo can mean either vulture depending on the speaker, while sucha is tied to the Black Vulture in Bolivia. Neither word appears in the Sociedad Ornitológica Puertorriqueña's Catalog of the Birds of Puerto Rico, which uses Aura Tiñosa as the official local name for the Turkey Vulture.

Puerto Rico's vulture: the Aura Tiñosa

The Turkey Vulture is the only vulture established on the island. SOPI classifies it as introduced, and the regional reference Birds of Puerto Rico says it was reportedly brought from Cuba in the late 19th century. The name aura tiñosa is shared with Cuba and the Dominican Republic.

It is not spread evenly. It is seen most often in the open country of the south and southwest, especially from Ponce to Cabo Rojo, with sightings in the northwest near Moca and Isabela; it becomes scarcer eastward along the south coast. It uses pastures, coasts, dry forest, farms, towns, and landfills, but roosts in trees or on cliffs.

Turkey Vulture or Black Vulture: how to separate them

The Turkey Vulture is 64–81 cm (25–32 in) long with a wingspan of about 1.8 m (6 ft). From below the wing looks two-toned: black linings against gray flight feathers. It soars with wings in a shallow V and tilts from side to side. Adults have a bare red head; juveniles have a gray one. It is one of the few birds with a keen sense of smell and can find carrion by odor.

The Black Vulture is stockier and short-tailed, with a dark gray head and a whitish patch near each wingtip. It holds its wings flat and breaks up glides with several quick flaps. It travels in flocks and often drives Turkey Vultures off food. If you see that pattern in Puerto Rico, document it with photos: here it is an accidental record.

When the same name means another bird

Bird names cross borders and change owners. In Venezuela, guaraguao is one of the Black Vulture's names; in Puerto Rico, guaraguao is a hawk, the Red-tailed Hawk (Guaraguao Colirrojo, Buteo jamaicensis), which hunts live prey and has a feathered head and, in adults, a reddish tail. In Argentina and Uruguay the Black Vulture is called cuervo (crow), though it is not a crow.

That is why it helps to ask where a name comes from before translating it. If someone from Mexico mentions a chombo, they are almost certainly describing a vulture. If someone in a Puerto Rican town points to a small black bird walking across the plaza, it is most likely the Greater Antillean Grackle, called Chango or Mozambique, which has nothing to do with vultures.

What we do not know and how to help

We found no sources documenting chombo or sucha as traditional names in Puerto Rico, and we will not invent that. Some families or communities may use them as a carryover from another country; if that is your case, the detail has linguistic value. Note who uses it, in which municipality, and for which bird.

To identify a vulture on the island, check three things: head color, the underwing pattern, and flight style. A photo of a soaring bird from below is usually enough to confirm a Turkey Vulture, and it is the evidence a records committee would ask for if you ever suspect a Black Vulture.

What is a sucha bird?

Sucha is a regional name for the Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) used in Bolivia. It is not a traditional Puerto Rican name. On the island the established vulture is the Turkey Vulture (Aura Tiñosa), and the Black Vulture appears only as an accidental record.

What bird is a chombo?

Chombo is a vulture name. In Mexico and El Salvador it is used for the Black Vulture, and it also appears among regional Turkey Vulture names in Mexico and Central America. In Puerto Rico that vulture is called Aura Tiñosa.

Are there vultures in Puerto Rico?

Yes, one established species: the Turkey Vulture (Aura Tiñosa), an introduced bird seen mostly in the south and southwest, from Ponce to Cabo Rojo. The Black Vulture is on the SOPI list, but only as an accidental visitor.

Is the Turkey Vulture native to Puerto Rico?

No. SOPI classifies it as introduced, and the Birds of Puerto Rico reference says it was reportedly brought from Cuba in the late 19th century. Today it is common in the open country of the island's south and southwest.

How do I tell a Turkey Vulture from a Black Vulture?

An adult Turkey Vulture has a red head, a two-toned underwing, and soars with wings in a shallow V. A Black Vulture has a dark gray head, a short tail, a whitish patch near the wingtip, and flies with flat wings and quick flaps.

Is a guaraguao a vulture?

Not in Puerto Rico: guaraguao names Buteo hawks such as the Red-tailed Hawk. In Venezuela, however, guaraguao is one of the Black Vulture's names, so the same word can describe different birds.