White-backed vulture
This vulture is part of a flock at Banham Zoo in Norfolk.
The white-backed vulture is the most common vulture species in the continent of Africa.
The vulture is a typical vulture, with only down feathers on the head and neck, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff. The adult's whitish back contrasts with the otherwise dark plumage. Juveniles are largely dark. This is a medium sized vulture, weighing 9 lb. 5 oz. to 15 lb. 14.5 oz. (4.2 to 7.2 kg). It is 2 ft. 7 in. to 3 ft. 3 in. (78 cm to 1 m) long and has a 6 ft. 5 in. to 7 ft. 5 in. (1.96 to 2.25 m) wingspan.
The white-backed vulture occurs from Senegal, Gambia and Mali in the west, throughout the Sahel region to Ethiopia and Somalia in the east, through East Africa into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa in the south. It is the most widespread and common vulture in Africa with an estimated range of 9,400,000 sq. miles (24,300,000 km2) but has undergone rapid population declines in recent years.
White-backed vultures are scavengers with a high level of specialization on carrion. Their primary food sources are the carcasses of large, grazing animals found the wooded savannahs where it lives. This includes warthogs, zebras, gazelles, ostriches and even livestock. Their beaks are medium sized and not adapted for tearing through tough skin, so they are limited to eating soft tissues, using a pulling feeding tactic.
White-backed vultures circle through the sky in search of freshly dead animals, often following other scavenger birds and mammalian carnivores to find it. Once a carcass is found, they will begin wheeling in the sky, signalling their discovery to other vultures. White-backed vultures feed in groups and are often one of the first vulture species to arrive at a carcass. This leads to this species having a high dominance at carcasses in comparison to other vulture species such as white-headed, hooded, and Egyptian vultures. After feeding, white-backed vultures often rest with their wings spread and their backs facing the sun, as they have gorged themselves so much they can no longer fly. A 100 or so white-backed vultures can rip all the flesh off a 100 lb. (45.5 kg) carcass in about three minutes
White-backed vultures' nest a loose colony of between 2 and 13 birds. They typically choose tall trees near rivers nan streams and show strong a preference for Acacia species. The nests are large, around 36 in. (1m) in diameter, and are made of large sticks and lined with leaves and grasses. The bird breeds in the dry season. Females lay a single which is incubated for around 56 days. Both parents will then take part in feeding and caring for the chick until it fledges and leaves the nest after about 4 months. The young vulture could have a lifespan of 19 years.
White-backed vultures face many threats from habitat loss, changes in agricultural practices, declines in hoofed wildlife populations, being hunted for traditional medicine use, illegal capture for the live trade, drowning in farm reservoirs, collisions with and electrocution from electricity pylons, persecution and poisoning. They have suffered a dramatic decline in their numbers with their population now down to 270,000 individuals and as a result, their conservation status is 'Critically Endangered'.
White-backed vulture
This vulture is part of a flock at Banham Zoo in Norfolk.
The white-backed vulture is the most common vulture species in the continent of Africa.
The vulture is a typical vulture, with only down feathers on the head and neck, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff. The adult's whitish back contrasts with the otherwise dark plumage. Juveniles are largely dark. This is a medium sized vulture, weighing 9 lb. 5 oz. to 15 lb. 14.5 oz. (4.2 to 7.2 kg). It is 2 ft. 7 in. to 3 ft. 3 in. (78 cm to 1 m) long and has a 6 ft. 5 in. to 7 ft. 5 in. (1.96 to 2.25 m) wingspan.
The white-backed vulture occurs from Senegal, Gambia and Mali in the west, throughout the Sahel region to Ethiopia and Somalia in the east, through East Africa into Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa in the south. It is the most widespread and common vulture in Africa with an estimated range of 9,400,000 sq. miles (24,300,000 km2) but has undergone rapid population declines in recent years.
White-backed vultures are scavengers with a high level of specialization on carrion. Their primary food sources are the carcasses of large, grazing animals found the wooded savannahs where it lives. This includes warthogs, zebras, gazelles, ostriches and even livestock. Their beaks are medium sized and not adapted for tearing through tough skin, so they are limited to eating soft tissues, using a pulling feeding tactic.
White-backed vultures circle through the sky in search of freshly dead animals, often following other scavenger birds and mammalian carnivores to find it. Once a carcass is found, they will begin wheeling in the sky, signalling their discovery to other vultures. White-backed vultures feed in groups and are often one of the first vulture species to arrive at a carcass. This leads to this species having a high dominance at carcasses in comparison to other vulture species such as white-headed, hooded, and Egyptian vultures. After feeding, white-backed vultures often rest with their wings spread and their backs facing the sun, as they have gorged themselves so much they can no longer fly. A 100 or so white-backed vultures can rip all the flesh off a 100 lb. (45.5 kg) carcass in about three minutes
White-backed vultures' nest a loose colony of between 2 and 13 birds. They typically choose tall trees near rivers nan streams and show strong a preference for Acacia species. The nests are large, around 36 in. (1m) in diameter, and are made of large sticks and lined with leaves and grasses. The bird breeds in the dry season. Females lay a single which is incubated for around 56 days. Both parents will then take part in feeding and caring for the chick until it fledges and leaves the nest after about 4 months. The young vulture could have a lifespan of 19 years.
White-backed vultures face many threats from habitat loss, changes in agricultural practices, declines in hoofed wildlife populations, being hunted for traditional medicine use, illegal capture for the live trade, drowning in farm reservoirs, collisions with and electrocution from electricity pylons, persecution and poisoning. They have suffered a dramatic decline in their numbers with their population now down to 270,000 individuals and as a result, their conservation status is 'Critically Endangered'.