Rüppell's Vulture
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| Gyps rueppellii (A. Brehm, 1852) |
Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) is a large vulture that ranges across much of central Africa, including Ethiopia, the Sudan, Tanzania and Guinea. It is also known as Rüppell's Griffon, Rueppell's Vulture, Rüppell's Griffin Vulture, and similar variants, and is named in honor of the 19th century German explorer, collector and zoologist Eduard Rüppell.
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[edit] Description
Adults are close to a metre (3 ft) in length, with a wingspan of around 2.6 m (8.6 ft), and a weight that usually ranges between 7 and 9 kg (15–20 lb). Both sexes are alike: mottled brown or black overall with a whitish-brown underbelly and thin, dirty-white fluff covering the head and neck. The base of the neck has a white collar, the eye is yellow or amber, the crop patch deep chocolate brown. Silent as a rule, they become vocal at the nest and when at a carcass, squealing a great deal.
[edit] Ecology
Rüppell's Vultures are highly social, roosting, nesting, and gathering to feed in large flocks. They can travel fast at need, cruising at up to 35 km/h, and will fly as far as 150 km from a nest site to find food. They can reach great heights, 6,000 m (20,000 ft) is not uncommon, and on one exceptional occasion, an aircraft over the Côte d'Ivoire collided with a Rüppell's Vulture at the astonishing altitude of 11,300 m (37,000 ft), the current record avian height. They have a specialised hemoglobin alphaD subunit of high oxygen affinity which makes it possible to take up oxygen efficiently despite the low partial pressure in the upper troposphere.[1]
They are creatures of the more arid and mountainous areas of Africa: particularly semi-desert and the fringes of deserts. They roost on inaccessible rock ledges if these are available, or in trees, usually Acacia. When thermal updrafts start to develop enough lift, about two hours after sunrise, Rüppell's Vultures leave the roost and begin to patrol over the plains, using their exceptionally keen eyesight to find large animal carcasses, or carnivores which have made a kill. They will wait, several days if necessary, until a carnivore leaves a carcass. They have been known to take live prey on occasion, but this is rare.
Rüppell's Vultures have several adaptations to their diet and are specialized feeders even among the Old World vultures of Africa. They have an especially powerful bill and, after the most attractive soft parts of a carcass have been consumed, they will continue with the hide, and even the bones, gorging themselves until they can barely fly. They have backward-facing splines on the tongue to help remove meat from bone.
[edit] Status
Rarer than previously believed, Rüppell's Vulture is uplisted from a species of Least Concern to Near Threatened in the 2007 IUCN Red List.[2]
[edit] Gallery
 Showing head in profile |
 At the Henry Doorly Zoo |
 At the Henry Doorly Zoo with wings open and profile shown in the shadow |
 At London Zoo |
 In flight, at London Zoo |
[edit] References
- ^ Weber R.E.; Hiebl I., Braunitzer G. (April 1988). "High altitude and hemoglobin function in the vultures Gyps rueppellii and Aegypius monachus". Biol Chem Hoppe Seyler 369 (4): 233–40.
- ^ BirdLife International (2007a. b).
- BirdLife International (2004). Gyps rueppellii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006.
- BirdLife International (2007a): 2006-2007 Red List status changes. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
- BirdLife International (2007b): Rüppell's Vulture - BirdLife Species Factsheet. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
[edit] See also
- The White-backed Vulture, which is slightly smaller and has a shorter neck.
