Griffon Vulture
Gyps fulvus
While I've seen these guys plenty, always soaring high, I've only photographed them once. It was in Extremadura, both in the Monfragüe National Park that so famous for them, but also an education center just outside of it. While they look very gruesome and their general behaviour lives up to their looks, they are also extremely characterful birds. It's probably just the human brain projecting, but it looks like they always have something on their minds. They are endlessly entertaining to watching, ever bickering and sometimes robustly. Like all good characters, they'll also suprise you - I saw two sharing a tender moment nuzzling each other amid all the carnage and chaos.
Description
The Griffon Vulture (aka Short Necked Griffon) is a large, pale bird with wide wings that can stretch up to 280 centimetres. Adults have light brown feathers with a noticeable white collar around the neck and a pale head covered in short white down. When flying, the dark feathers on the wings stand out against the lighter feathers underneath. The bird also has a short, square-shaped tail that is easy to recognise. This vulture prefers mountainous areas in southern Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia, where it nests in groups on cliff faces. These birds live in open countryside and highlands. They glide on warm air currents while looking for dead animals to eat. Griffon Vultures mainly feed on the soft parts of medium to large animal carcasses. They often gather in large numbers at feeding spots. Their strong beaks are designed to tear flesh rather than break bones, which is different from how some other vultures feed.
Vital statistics
Body length
93 - 110 cm
Weight
6 - 11 kg
Wingspan
240 - 280 cm
- Carrion100%