BIRDS of THE WORLD - An Online Bird Book
RAPTORS
Old World Vultures
Order Accipitriformes Family Accipitridae
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
Order Strigiformes, family Strigidae: owls
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: falconsOrder 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 ZASimilar to: White-backed Vulture. Cape Vulture has a whiter white than White-backed Vulture. Cape Vulture has longer neck fuzz.
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 _(2926948182).jpg){kind=link}
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, IndiaSimilar 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.
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 IsmavelSimilar 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.
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 Similar to: Cape Vulture. Cape Vulture has a whiter white than White-backed Vulture. Cape Vulture has longer neck fuzz.
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, KenyaSimilar to: Lappet-faced Vulture. The Lappet-faced Vulture is considerably larger than the Hooded Vulture and has a more massive bill.
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
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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 PreezSimilar to: Hooded Vulture. The Lappet-faced Vulture is considerably larger than the Hooded Vulture and has a more massive bill.
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
