White-backed Vulture - Gyps africanus

White-backed Vulture

Gyps africanus

Order : Accipitriformes

Family : Accipitridae ;

Biometrics :

Size : 89 à 98 cm
Wingspan : 210 à 220 cm
Weight : 4,2 à 7,2 kg

Longevity : 19 years

IUCN conservation status :

Extinct

Threatened

Least
concern

Extinc
in the Wild

Near
threatened

Not
evaluated

EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

Geographic range :

Synonyms : Vitryggad gam (sv), Buitre Dorsiblanco Africano (es), Avvoltoio grifone minore (it), Weissrückengeier (al), Witruggier (nl), White-backed Vulture (en)

Physical description :
AWBV is an Old Word Vulture. It is very typical with its bald head, broad wings and short tail. It has a white neck ruff. This vulture has whitish back and rump, making contrast with its dark plumage.
It has sparse yellowish down on its black bare skin on head and neck. It has some variable colours, brown on shoulders and joints of wings, primary flight feathers black, and secondaries mostly dark brown. Tail is black. Underparts are fulvous. Under wings are white, crop has brown patch.
Eyes are dark brown. Legs and feet are dark brown. Bill is strong and black at all ages.
Juvenile is very dark and brown, more than adults. But it has not pale white areas. It needs some years to reach adult plumage, from 4 to 6 years.

Voice : AWBV utters a croaking when at nest or near carcasses. But it may make a squealing noise when disputes occur for food.

Habitat : AWBV is common in wooded areas which support populations of large grazing mammals. It also can be found along streams.
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE: AWBV lives in Africa, South of Sahara, and in a large part of South Africa and Namibia, and equatorial forests of West Africa.

Behaviour : AWBV may be the most numerous of African vultures. It has gregarious feeding habits. It feeds mainly on carrion. We can find it in big numbers when food resources are abundant. These birds are adapted to feed on soft tissues, and cannot rip open large carcasses with thick skin.
AWBV is a very gregarious bird, feeding in large flocks. Often, up to 100 of these birds can gather near a carcass.
It is very tame, venturing into towns, searching for food.
AWBV searches its food by soaring high above the ground. It has keen eyesight. When one bird finds a freshly killed animal, it wheels in the sky to signal other vultures to come and eat.
It is the most-lightweight of the African vultures, and the most mobile and agile species.
It appears that this species has not courtship display.

Flight : AWBV shows its white back only in flight. It soars easily with its broad wings.

Reproduction-nesting : AWBV makes its nest in trees, and breeds in loose colonies. Nest is small in size, for these large vultures. It is located at the top of a tall tree in their territory.
Female lays one single egg. Incubation lasts about 56 days, by both parents. Chicks are fed by both adults, and may fledge at about 4 months.

Food habits : AWBV feeds mainly on carcasses and bone fragments. It is a strict meat-eater.

Protection / threats : AWBV is relatively common in southern Africa. But it is considered as vulnerable, because their decline in recent years. AWBV suffered some threats such as indirect poisoning, habitat loss, collisions and electrocution by power lines.

Other links :
Iucn
Birdlife

Specification sheet created by Nicole Bouglouan

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