Fully Feathered Landing
At this point, the bird in the image is committed to landing on the large branch in the forground. It had flown in from a launch point 100m or so off to my left front, during a photoshoot day at The Hawk Conservancy just outside Andover. You can see another member of the day's group already checking his shots in the upper left of the picture. I will admit it was a mistake on my part to have him in the image, but it gives great context and some sense of size.
The White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) is the least well-known vulture species in Africa. There has been no comprehensive study done of this species and, compared with other vultures, relatively little is known about its basic biology. Key features such as feeding ecology and factors affecting breeding performance remain poorly understood.
In 2007, the category of risk assigned to it by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) increased to ‘Vulnerable.’ This assessment incorporates recently reported severe declines in West Africa. These have exceeded 60% in protected areas, whilst the species has completely disappeared from rural areas.
In southern Africa the population was estimated to number 500 pairs in 1997 and has been revised more recently to 430 pairs in 2004. Zimbabwe holds a significant proportion of the regional breeding population, whilst in South Africa, the Kruger National Park and neighbouring conservation areas contain the largest population of White-Headed Vultures in South Africa. In southern Africa, the species is largely confined to conservation areas. - Hawkconservancy.org
It has a pink beak and a white crest, and the featherless areas on its head are pale. Its has dark brown upper parts and black tail feathers. The feathers on its lower parts and legs are white. It has a wingspan of 2m and spends a lot of time soaring looking for food. It roosts in tall trees near to water at night. - Wikipedia.
The Hawk Conservancy is helping to better understand these birds. Field sites are in South Africa (Kruger National Park) and Mozambique. Research efforts are focused on: habitat requirements; feeding ecology; specific relationships; and biology. Fundraising efforts raise money for supporting fieldworkers and research costs.
Fully Feathered Landing
At this point, the bird in the image is committed to landing on the large branch in the forground. It had flown in from a launch point 100m or so off to my left front, during a photoshoot day at The Hawk Conservancy just outside Andover. You can see another member of the day's group already checking his shots in the upper left of the picture. I will admit it was a mistake on my part to have him in the image, but it gives great context and some sense of size.
The White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) is the least well-known vulture species in Africa. There has been no comprehensive study done of this species and, compared with other vultures, relatively little is known about its basic biology. Key features such as feeding ecology and factors affecting breeding performance remain poorly understood.
In 2007, the category of risk assigned to it by The World Conservation Union (IUCN) increased to ‘Vulnerable.’ This assessment incorporates recently reported severe declines in West Africa. These have exceeded 60% in protected areas, whilst the species has completely disappeared from rural areas.
In southern Africa the population was estimated to number 500 pairs in 1997 and has been revised more recently to 430 pairs in 2004. Zimbabwe holds a significant proportion of the regional breeding population, whilst in South Africa, the Kruger National Park and neighbouring conservation areas contain the largest population of White-Headed Vultures in South Africa. In southern Africa, the species is largely confined to conservation areas. - Hawkconservancy.org
It has a pink beak and a white crest, and the featherless areas on its head are pale. Its has dark brown upper parts and black tail feathers. The feathers on its lower parts and legs are white. It has a wingspan of 2m and spends a lot of time soaring looking for food. It roosts in tall trees near to water at night. - Wikipedia.
The Hawk Conservancy is helping to better understand these birds. Field sites are in South Africa (Kruger National Park) and Mozambique. Research efforts are focused on: habitat requirements; feeding ecology; specific relationships; and biology. Fundraising efforts raise money for supporting fieldworkers and research costs.