Dave Taylor's African Safari: Scavengers and Decomposers - Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture

Scavengers and Decomposers
Ruppell’s Griffon Vulture
Page 6

Gyps ruppellii

Length: 90 cm (35")

Habitat: Ruppell's Griffon vulture is found in open country, open bushlands and woodlands. Someplace in its range there must be cliffs for it to nest on.

Status: Common

Social System/Behavior: This vulture is often encountered in large numbers wherever the big herds are found. They rely on the dead and dying of these herds for their food. More than any other vulture, they are the ones that tend to follow the herds of zebra and wildebeest.

In the Serengeti, the majority of these birds nest in the Gol Mountains, part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. A lack of nesting areas is the main reason they are not more common here.

A Ruppell’s Griffon vulture weighs about 8 to 9 kilograms (18 - 20 lb.). To lift this weight into the air, it relies on thermals, columns of hot air that rise above the plains. It is not until these thermals begin to rise that this vulture takes to the air. There, using its large, wide wings to capture the air currents, it soars above the plains. Often, they fly over 150 kilometers (93 miles) in order to locate the herds.

They soar up to several thousand kilometers above the plains. Their eyes are so sharp they can spot a carcass from 3.2 kilometers (2 miles). When one spots a kill, it begins to descend. Other birds will follow it down, alerting birds even further away. Hyenas and lions also pay attention to these descents and will follow them to the corpse too.

It will consume 1.5 kg. (3 lb.) of meat at a carcass. When a large number of these birds feed at a carcass they can strip it to bare bones in less than an hour. At the same time, due to its large size, it can go many days between meals.

Ruppell's Griffon vultures nest in colonies of up to 1,000 pairs. There is intense competition between pairs for the best nesting sites. Their nests are always made on the side of cliffs. They never nest in trees. The nest itself varies from bird to bird. Some make a nest of sticks while others simply lay their egg on the bare rock.

Pairs mate for a long period, perhaps for life. The female lays one egg about two months after mating. They raise one young at a time. The young is five months before it fledges. The chick eats 1 kilogram (2.2 lb.) of food a day as it matures.

They are seven years old before they breed.

Select a Page:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11