Dave Taylor's African Safari: Scavengers and Decomposers - White-headed Vulture

Scavengers and Decomposers
White-headed Vulture
Page 8

Aegypius occipitalis

Length: 80 cm (31")

Habitat: This vulture is found above wooded savannas, plains and semi-deserts.

Social System/Behavior: White-headed vultures build large stick nests on top of acacias and other tall trees. Sometimes their nests may be found on cliffs. They normally raise one chick. The breeding season lasts from October to August. It lives in pairs or family units with its young of the year.

They watch predators and will follow wounded game from the air. They have been seen killing severely injured prey even in dense bush. They will also swoop down on young duikers, ostriches and bustards. They dispatch the victim with blows from their beaks. They also kill flamingos, hares and small gazelles.

This vulture flies earlier in the day than other vultures who have to wait for the thermals to begin. As a result, it is often the first and only vulture at a kill in the morning. As other species arrive, they force it away. It is easily bullied by the larger and more numerous species.

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