Rüppell's griffon vulture, Rüppell’s griffon, Rüppell's griffin vulture
Rüppell's vultures are big vultures ranging across a good part of central Africa. Their name comes from the 19th century German zoologist and explorer Eduard Rüppell. Being social birds, they nest in colonies of about 100 pairs in a mountainous habitat. They are scavengers, eating only carcasses and the remains of other dead animals. Their lack of hunting is not laziness or weakness - these birds can soar to incredible heights, searching for carrion, holding the record for flying higher than any other bird. An aircraft has collided with one of them at 37,000 feet.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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ScavengerScavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While sc...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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CongregatoryCongregatory animals tend to gather in large numbers in specific areas as breeding colonies, for feeding, or for resting.
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OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
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Soaring birdsSoaring birds can maintain flight without wing flapping, using rising air currents. Many gliding birds are able to "lock" their extended wings by m...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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FlockingFlocking birds are those that tend to gather to forage or travel collectively. Avian flocks are typically associated with migration. Flocking also ...
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Highly socialHighly social animals are those which are highly interactive with other members of their species. They live in large groups, nest in colonies, and ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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Long-Lived Animals
The Rüppell’s vulture inhabits the Sahel region in central Africa (Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Chad and others), living in sub-Saharan grassland and woodland. It often roots and breeds around cliffs and gorges.
Rüppell's vultures are diurnal and very social birds, roosting, nesting, and feeding in large flocks. Like most vultures, they are silent, except when at their nesting ground or foraging around a carcass. They spend much of their time flying, gliding with wings held level or using slow, powerful wing beats. They often fly at great altitudes, using strong winds or thermals for more efficient soaring. These vultures locate food by sight only, and once they see a carcass they swoop down, land a little way off, then bound forward with wings spread and their long neck outstretched. Fights with other vultures are common as the birds struggle to get their meal, their necks often turning deep red from aggression as they hiss, grunt, and chatter at their opponent.
Being carnivores and scavenger, these birds eat the carcasses of dead animals.
Rüppell’s vultures are monogamous and form strong lifelong pair bonds. In vulture courtship, a pair will circle close together near to cliffs. Pairs perch next to each other for a long time, and together form colonies of as many as 1,000 breeding pairs. They build their large nests out of sticks and line them with grass and leaves. Females often steal sticks from other nests for the males to arrange. Depending upon the nesting site’s location, it may be used year on year or just once. Both parents take part in incubation, brooding, and feeding the chicks. A single egg is laid each year. Incubation is for 55 days. When the chick hatches, both its parents will feed it and look after it until it is about 150 days old, when it fledges. After fledging a chick remains dependent on its parents, reaching independence when the next breeding season comes. Until then, they learn how to seek and compete for food.
This formerly abundant species has suffered rapid decline over much of its range, especially in West Africa, and is now mostly confined to protected areas. Despite being less studied than other vultures, it is known that these declines are due to the impact of agriculture on their habitat, persecution and large-scale incidental poisoning. In West Africa, these birds have been greatly used in black magic practices.
The IUCN Red List reports the Rüppell’s vulture total population size as 22,000 mature individuals, with perhaps about 30,000 individuals at the beginning of the 1990s. Specific populations have been estimated in these areas: 3,000 pairs in Tanzania; 2,000 pairs in Kenya; 2,000 pairs in Ethiopia; 2,000 pairs in Sudan and 2,000 pairs in West Africa. Overall, currently Rüppell’s vultures are classified as Critically Endangered (CR) and their numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...