CLASSIFICATION
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Gyps
Species: rueppelli

RANGE
Central Africa.

HABITAT
Barren areas such as mountain steppes, high plateaus and cliffs.

SIZE:
Weight: 15 – 18 pounds
Wingspan: 6 – 8 feet

• Breeding from May to September, high in the mountains where there are cliffs and deep ravines.
• Nests in trees and on rocks, with nests built of twigs, grass and excrement.
• Incubation period is 54 days with parents sharing incubation duties.

DIET
Wild: Large dead animals, eating only the flesh and intestines.
Captivity: Bird of prey diet, rats, mice and chicks.

BEHAVIOR

• Very social birds.
• Usually nest in loose colonies of up to 100 pairs, but have been seen in colonies up to 1,000 pairs.
• Colonies are found in open, arid areas.
• Prefers open areas, since they hunt for carcasses using sight, not smell.

POINTS OF INTEREST

• Distinguished by a slender, relatively weak beak and a long goose-like neck of even thickness.
• Tail is rounded.
• Ruff is found only on the back of the neck and consists of dense quill and down feathers.
• Circling motion in the sky is an alert to other vultures that a carcass has been spotted.
• A group of vultures can devour an antelope carcass in 20 minutes.

STATUS
Endangered, populations in decline due to human encroachment and habitat destruction.