Cape Vulture
Gyps coprotheres (Forster, 1798)
Range: Southern Africa
Habitat: Savannah, Open Grassland
Diet: Carrion
Social Grouping: Large Colonies
Reproduction: Nesting season is April through July. Single egg is laid in a stick platform nest or on a rock ledge. Both parents incubate the egg and care for the chick. Chicks fledge at 140 days
Lifespan: 30 Years
Conservation Status: IUCN Endangered, CITES Appendix II
- Body length 95-115 centimeters, wingspan 225-260 centimeters. Weight 7-11 kilograms.
- Buff-gray plumage with dark flight feathers and tail feathers. Undersides of wings are pale grey, almost silver. Adults are paler than juveniles, may appear white from a distance
- Two patches of bare skin at the base of the neck are believed to be temperature sensitive, serve to help the vultures detect warm air thermals which can be used for soaring
- Forage in loose networks, spread out gliding on warm air thermals. When one vulture spots a carcass and begins its decent, other vultures will see and move in on the location
- Primary threats include poisoning (farmers put out poisoned sheep and cattle carcasses to kill mammalian predators), as well as collision with power lines. Also threatened by hunting for traditional medicine, loss of habitat
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