Overview
The Cape Vulture, also known as Cape Griffon, is a large bird of prey and is among the most majestic vulture species. Known for its friendly nature and its place in Africa’s biodiversity, the Cape Vulture is an essential part of the ecosystem. It plays a significant role in maintaining the balance by scavenging for carrion. Its enormous wings, which are lighter in color than the rest of its body, enable it to glide through the skies of its native habitats.
Although they can sometimes be seen in groups, they are typically solitary birds, keeping to themselves or small groups except at feeding times. The Cape Vulture is not a predatory species but instead feeds on the carcasses of dead animals, which they locate by sight and following other scavengers. Like other vultures, Cape Vultures are of great ecological value due to their role as scavengers.
However, they are unfortunately classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), mainly due to habitat destruction, poisoning, and collision with electricity cables. The reduced available food supply due to changes in livestock farming methods also contributes to their decline.
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species
Type
Physical Description:
Cape Vultures are impressive, characterized by their large size, broad wings, and short tail feathers. The adult bird’s general coloration is a pale tawny to cream, contrasting dark flight and tail feathers. The head and neck are sparsely covered with whitish down, giving them a somewhat bald appearance. The eyes are dark brown, and the bill is black with a greenish tinge at the base.
Juveniles have darker plumage and blackish bills, and it can take up to seven years to attain full adult coloration. Cape Vultures are distinguishable from other vulture species by their color, the square tail, and the pale panels on the outer part of their underwing.
Lifespan: Wild: ~25 Years || Captivity: ~30 Years
Weight: Male: 15-25 lbs (6.8-11.3 kg) || Female: 17-27 lbs (7.7-12.2 kg)
Length: Male: 39-47 inches (100-120 cm) || Female: 40-49 inches (102-125 cm)
Wingspan: Male & Female: 8.2–8.6 feet (2.5–2.6 m)
Top Speed: 37 mph (60 km/h)
Characteristic:
Native Habitat:
The Cape Vulture is endemic to southern Africa. It inhabits open grassland and savannah where they can easily spot carrion from high up in the air. They prefer to roost on high cliffs or large trees, which offer safety from ground predators. These roosting sites are often near water sources they need for drinking and bathing.
Their nests are built on inaccessible cliffs, each occupying a ledge. These nesting sites, or colonies, are highly social environments where birds communicate and interact. Such sites can house anywhere from 10 to 1000 pairs of vultures.
Biomes:
Biogeographical Realms:
Continents:
Countries:
Diet:
Diet & Feeding Habits:
The Cape Vulture is an obligate scavenger, feeding almost entirely on carrion. While they can tear open a carcass themselves, they often rely on other predators to do the job for them, using their keen eyesight to spot feeding sites from high in the air. They then descend upon the carcass in large numbers, sometimes up to hundreds at a time.
They prefer larger carcasses and are particularly fond of the bones. They have a specialized acidic digestive system that allows them to consume rotting meat without getting sick. This is beneficial to the environment as it helps prevent disease spread. Cape Vultures have a high soaring flight and can cover vast areas in search of food, sometimes traveling over 200 kilometers daily.
Mating Behavior:
Mating Description:
Cape Vultures mate for life and are monogamous. The breeding season usually begins in April and lasts until January, with peak laying from May to July. Courtship involves mutual preening and the male following the female closely on the nest ledge.
The female usually lays one egg, which both parents incubate for about 56 days. Once the chick hatches, both parents share in the care and feeding of the chick. The chick stays in the nest for about 140 to 150 days before it is ready to fledge.
Reproduction Season:
Birth Type:
Pregnancy Duration:
Female Name:
Male Name:
Baby Name:
Social Structure Description:
Cape Vultures are social creatures, often seen in large groups, especially when feeding. While they roost and nest in colonies, they don’t necessarily hunt in groups but rely on spotting other birds that have found a carcass and then swooping in to share the bounty. This behavior is an excellent demonstration of their social structure, where individual vultures benefit from group behavior.
The hierarchy within a feeding group is usually determined by size, with the larger, more dominant birds feeding first. Their colonies are also thought to provide a form of information exchange where the birds can observe each other’s behavior to locate food sources.
Groups:
Population Trend:
The Cape Vulture population is severely threatened, with less than 10,000 mature individuals believed to exist in the wild. The primary cause of the decline is a decrease in food availability due to changes in livestock farming and the availability of carrion. Illegal poisoning is another major threat, as farmers often lace carcasses with poison to kill predators, leading to mass vulture deaths.
Furthermore, collision with electricity cables and wind turbines is a significant cause of mortality. The species is also targeted for belief-based use, such as traditional medicine in some cultures. Its reliance on cliff-face breeding colonies also makes it vulnerable to habitat degradation and disturbance.
Population Threats:
The Cape Vulture faces numerous threats that have significantly contributed to its population decline. These threats include habitat destruction, illegal poisoning, collision with power lines and wind turbines, lack of food due to changes in livestock farming, and harvesting of traditional medicine.
In addition, disturbance of breeding colonies by recreational climbers and habitat degradation are other vital factors that adversely affect the species. Climate change will also likely impact their feeding and breeding patterns, adding to the existing threats.
Conservation Efforts:
Several conservation efforts have been implemented to protect the Cape Vulture. These include monitoring population trends and breeding success, protecting breeding colonies, and providing supplementary feeding at vulture restaurants to offset the decrease in natural food sources.
Various organizations have also undertaken power line and wind turbine mitigation efforts to reduce the number of vulture deaths caused by these structures. Additionally, there are ongoing education and advocacy programs to reduce the use of vultures in traditional medicine and promote vulture-friendly farming practices.
Additional Resources:
Fun Facts
- Cape Vultures have a highly acidic stomach, capable of digesting rotting meat and killing any bacteria or viruses it may contain.
- They have a relatively long lifespan and can live up to 30 years in captivity.
- Unlike most birds, vultures have a keen sense of smell which they use to locate carcasses from great distances.
- A Cape Vulture can eat up to 1.5 kilograms of meat in a single meal and go for several days without eating again.
- Juvenile Cape Vultures have darker plumage than adults, and it takes up to seven years to get their full adult coloration.
- Cape Vultures have a specialized tongue that strips the meat from bones.
- A group of vultures is called a “venue” at rest and a “kettle” in flight.
- Cape Vultures can fly at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet and travel over 200 kilometers daily in search of food.
- They are monogamous birds that mate for life.
- Despite their fearsome reputation and appearance, Cape Vultures are timid and would rather flee than fight.
