BIRDS of THE WORLD - An Online Bird Book
SEARCH 

RAPTORS

Raptors are carnivorous. They hunt by sight during the day, are long lived, and have low reproductive rates. They catch their prey via strong claws – three pointing forward and one pointing backward. The raptors that hunt by day are: hawks, eagle, kites, vultures, falcons. Owls hunt by night. Raptors are also called birds of prey.

Order Accipitriformes, family Accipitridae: hawks, eagles, kites, Old World vultures.
Order Accipitriformes, family Cathartidae: New World vultures
Also Accipitriformes: ospreys ( family Pandionidae); secretary bird (family Sagittariidae)
Order Falconiformes, family Falconidae: falcons
Order Strigiformes, family Strigidae: owls


Old World Vultures

Order Accipitriformes    Family Accipitridae

Old World vultures are not closely related to New World vultures. They resemble each other because of convergent evolution. Vultures in general feed on dead animals. They tend to have bald heads to minimize the feathers that get contaminated from carrion. They have broad wings for efficient soaring, Old World Vulture do not have a good sense of smell and thus locate their meals by sight.


Genus Aegypius - 1 species

Vulture,_Monk  also Eurasian Black Vulture also Cinereous Vulture  Aegypius monachus  Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
The Monk Vulture has blackish-brown plumage; large bill; pale crown, nape.
Image by: 1) Joachim S. Müller  2) 4028mdk29  3) Mistvan - ZOO Olomouc, Czech Republic 4, 5) Koshy_Koshy - India




Genus Gypaetus - 1 species

Vulture,_Bearded   also  Lammergeier  Gypaetus barbatus     Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
The Bearded Vulture has blackish-gray upperparts; off-white to rusty underparts; whitish head, neck; black mask extends to form a short beard; feathered neck and legs; wedge-shaped tail.
Image by: 1, 2) Richard Bartz   3) Rob  4) Jayhem - Switzerland



Genus Gypohierax - 1 species

Vulture,_Palm-nut  Gypohierax angolensis  Found: Africa
The Palm-nut Vulture has white head, body, wing coverts; black flight feathers, tail; square tail.
Image by: 1) Dick Daniels - Jacksonville Zoo   2) Steve Garvie  3, 4) Sergey Yeliseev - Kenya, Samburu National Reserve  5) Sias van Schalkwyk - South Africa  6, 7) Nik Borrow - Uganda, Libia




Genus Gyps
The Griffon vultures have an unfeathered head and neck, usually covered with light colored fuzz. They have a light colored fluffy neck collar termed a ruff.

Vulture,_Cape  also Cape Griffon Vulture  also  Cape Griffon  Gyps coprotheres  Found: Africa
The Cape Vulture has mainly whitish plumage with black flight feathers and tail.
Similar to: White-backed Vulture. Cape Vulture has a whiter white than White-backed Vulture. Cape Vulture has longer neck fuzz.
Image by: 1) Ian White  2) Heather Paul   3) Arno Meintjes - South Africa  4) David Ellis  5) Cristiano Crolle - Kalahari desert, Namibia   6) NJR ZA


Vulture,_Eurasian Griffon also Griffon Vulture also Eurasian Griffon  Gyps fulvus  Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
The Eurasian Griffon Vulture has buff back, wing coverts, underparts; black flight feathers, tail; white head, neck.
Image by: 1) Jorg Hempel  2) Ingrid Taylor - Oakland Zoo, California   3) Dick Daniels - Cental Zoo, Nepal  4) Sebastian Kruk  5) Cesare Dolzani  6) Cristiano Crolle - Gorges du Verdon, France


Vulture,_Himalayan  also  Himalayan Griffon  Gyps himalayensis  Found: Asia
The Himalayan Griffon Vulture has dark brown upperparts with buff mantle; yellowish down on head and neck (white for juvenile); pale brown underparts, under-wing coverts.
Image by: 1) Koshy_Koshy - India  2) Jan Reurink 3) Benjamint444 - the Annapurna region of Nepal 
1) Juvenile


Vulture,_Indian  Gyps indicus Found: India
The Indian Vulture, once known as the Long-billed Vulture, is on the verge of extinction due to poisoning of dying cattle. It breeds on cliffs.
Similar to: Slender-billed Vulture. They have different ranges. Indian Vulture found south of Ganges. Slender-billed Vulture found in sub-Himalayan regions and into southeast Asia.
Image by: 1) Yathan sk  2) Sandeep Somasekharan - Ramanagaram, India


Vulture,_Rüppell's  Griffon also Rüppell's Vulture Gyps rueppellii   Found: Africa
Image by:  1) Carol Foil - Samburu Reserve, Samburu District, Kenya  2, 3) Dick Daniels - Tanzania   4) Dick - San Diego Zoo  5, 6) Nik_Borrow - Tanzania



Vulture,_Slender-billed   Gyps tenuirostris   Found: India, southeast Asia
The Slender-billed vulture has mainly gray plumage; pale rump; gray under tail coverts; whitish down on thighs; narrow dark bill.
Similar to: Indian Vulture. They have different ranges. Indian Vulture found south of Ganges. Slender-billed Vulture found in sub-Himalayan regions and into southeast Asia.
Image by: 1) WT Blanford  2) MV Ismavel


Vulture,_(African) White-backed Gyps africanus Found: Africa
The White-backed Vulture has whitish back, wing coverts, neck underparts; black flight feathers. Juvenile is mostly black with white neck.
Similar to: Cape Vulture. Cape Vulture has a whiter white than White-backed Vulture. Cape Vulture has longer neck fuzz.
Image by: 1) Lip Kee - Kenya  2, 8, 9) Dick Daniels - Keekorok Lodge in the Masai Mara, Kenya  3) Sandy Cole - Kenya   4, 6) Arno Meintjes  5) Karen  7) Dick - Jacksonville Zoo, Florida  10) Charlie Westerinen - Zimbabwe  
1, 2, 3) Juvenile




Vulture,_White-rumped  Gyps bengalensis  Found: Indian Subconinent
The White-rumped Vulture has mainly dark plumage; white ruff, under-wing coverts. The white rump is hard to see.
Image by: 1, 2) Goran Ekstrom  3) Steve Babb  4) Umang Dutt - India



Genus Necrosyrtes - 1 species

Vulture,_Hooded  Necrosyrtes monachus  Found: Africa
The Hooded Vulture has mainly dark brown pluage; pink head; grayish "hood"; white front of throat. It is a small vulture.
Similar to: Lappet-faced Vulture. The Lappet-faced Vulture is considerably larger than the Hooded Vulture and has a more massive bill.
Image by: 1, 2, 5) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo   3) Gabriel Buissart    4) Darren Bellerby - Maasai Mara, Kenya   6) Dick - Keekorok Lodge in the Masai Mara, Kenya




Genus Neophron  - 1 species

Vulture,_Egyptian  Neophron percnopterus  Found: Europe, Asia, Africa
The Egyptian Vulture has white plumage with black flight feathers; long, slender bill; yellow facial skin borders a black tipped bill; pink legs (gray for juvenile).
Image by: 1) Sandy Cole - San Diego Zoo  2) Dick Daniels - San Diego Zoo 3) Norbert Potensky   4) Sergey Yeliseev - Israel
1, 2) Neophron p. percnopterus 



Genus Sarcogyps - 1 species

Vulture,_Red-headed  Sarcogyps calvus  Found: Indian Subcontinent; southeast  Asia
The Red-headed Vulture has a red to orange head; black body, white bib.
Image by: 1) Rob Williams  2) Diyendu Ash  3) Tarique Sani - India



Genus Torgos  - 1 species

Vulture,_Lappet-faced Torgos tracheliotus   Found: Africa
The Lappet-faced Vulture has blackish upperparts; white to buff underparts; white leggings.
Similar to: Hooded Vulture. The Lappet-faced Vulture is considerably larger than the Hooded Vulture and has a more massive bill.
Image by:  1) Dick Daniels - Jacksonville Zoo  2) Dick - Tanzania   3) Darren Bellerby - Maasai Mara, Kenya  4) Nik_Borrow - Tanzania  5) Johann du Preez




Genus Trigonoceps - 1 species

Vulture,_White-headed  Trigonoceps occipitalis  Found: Africa
The White-headed Vulture has blackish upperparts, under-wing coverts; white head, neck, underparts, flight feathers, leggings.
Image by: 1) Luc Viatour  2) Merijn Vogel  3) Andree Kroger  4) David Schenfeld - Botswana





Back to Top