National Vulture Awareness Day 2009: 5 September

Lappet-faced Vulture
Other Names:
Afrikaans: Swartassvoel
German: Ohrengeier
French: Vautour Oricou
Common Name: Nubian vulture, Eared vulture
Genus: Torgos
Torgos tracheliotus

Vearl Brown under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 2.0 Generic License.

Like most vultures, it has a bald head which is a pink (sometimes reddish) coloration (distinctive feature). This is Africa's largest vulture which has two subspecies.
Torgos tracheliotus tracheliotus: Their feathers are mostly dark brown to black which contrasts starkly with the white thighs and white bar running across the leading edge of the underwing, clearly visible when in flight. They underparts are streaked black and white.   
Torgos tracheliotus negevensis: They are generally browner with partially-brown thighs. Only some individuals show white on the underwing and those individuals  also have pure white feathers on their backs.
Immature: They are dark brown and the white feathers are acquired over a 5-6 year period. The head is dull pink. 
Length: 78-115cm
Weight: 4400-8500g
Distribution: They can be found across the Middle East and Africa.
Torgos tracheliotus negevensis:: occurs in the Sinai, the Negev desert and probably north-west Saudi Arabia (formerly found in Israel).
Habitat: This vulture inhabits dry savanna, semi-arid or desert areas with only scattered trees, thorn bushes and short grass. They can be found by open mountain slopes up to 4,500m above sea level.

Food: Vultures are primarily scavengers but the prefer to feed on the carcasses of smaller animals such as gazelle and hares. Occasionally, they will hunt and kill live prey, including small mammals and birds such as flamingos, in addition to feeding on eggs and possibly termites and locusts.
Breeding: In Africa: this vulture breeds in Egypt, possibly Libya, Senegal, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Breeding populations have been extinct in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia since the 1930s. It may also no longer breed in Swaziland.
In the Middle East: they breed in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen. The species no longer breeds in Israel, but it is known to sometimes travel up to 150km away from the breeding area to forage, and thus individuals that are thought to breed in Saudi Arabia can be found in Israel.
Nest: Pairs often build only one nest, although it is also normal to have 1-3 nests that are used alternately. These nests are used year after year. The nest is a large platform of sticks with a 3m diameter, 30-100cm deep. It is lined with grass, hair and skin. The nest is placed on top of a flat topped tree in loose groups.
Eggs: One egg is laid. It is white but spotted and blotched with brown and gray.
Incubation: The egg is incubated for 54-56 days by both parents.
Nestling: The chick fledges at 125-135 days (by both parents) but they continue to remain dependent on their parents for quite some time. Young will usually take 6 years before they start breeding.
Interesting Facts:
# This vulture is part of the 'Big Six Birds' of Kruger National Park, South Africa.
# It is not closely related to the superficially similar New World vultures, and does not share the good sense of smell of some members of that group. 
Status: Vulnerable

Other Vultures:

Vulture, American Black

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