Rüppell's Vulture
Gyps rueppelli (Brehm, AE, 1852)
7.4 kgWeight
Rüppell's vulture (Gyps rueppelli), also called Rüppell's griffon vulture or Rüppell's griffon, a species of vulture named after Eduard Rüppell, is a large, resident bird of prey, mainly native to the Sahel region and East Africa.
Most records: Kenya, Tanzania, Spain
Where and when it's recorded
Most records: Kenya, Tanzania, Spain
Rüppell's Vulture has been recorded at 174 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 20 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Nairobi NPKenya662 records
- Observatorio de CazallaSpain554 records
- Tarangire NPTanzania439 records
More places
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ngorongoro CraterTanzania433 records
- Serengeti NPTanzania426 records
- Maasai Mara NR – Mara TriangleKenya388 records
- Maasai Mara NRKenya373 records
- Algeciras – Observatorio de AlgarroboSpain345 records
- Amboseli NPKenya327 records
- Murchison Falls NP – North sideUganda269 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
Rüppell's vulture (Gyps rueppelli), also called Rüppell's griffon vulture or Rüppell's griffon, a species of vulture named after Eduard Rüppell, is a large, resident bird of prey, mainly native to the Sahel region and East Africa. It is considered to be the highest-flying bird, with confirmed evidence of a flight at an altitude of 11,300 m (37,000 ft), where the average temperature is about −56 °C (−69 °F). The former population of 22,000 individuals has been decreasing due to loss of habitat, incidental poisoning, and other factors.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Rüppell's Vulture?
The Rüppell's Vulture weighs around 7.4 kg.
Where does the Rüppell's Vulture live?
Its breeding range: Africa: eastern, central, western. It is most often recorded in Kenya, Tanzania and Spain.
Is the Rüppell's Vulture endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Rüppell's Vulture as Critically Endangered.
What does the Rüppell's Vulture eat?
Main food: Carrion.
What family is the Rüppell's Vulture in?
It belongs to the family Kites, Hawks, Eagles (Accipitridae), order Accipitriformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 7.4 kg
- Habitat
- Grassland
- Diet
- Carrion
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Critically Endangered
More measurements
- Wing
- 628 mm
- Tail
- 236 mm
- Bill
- 78 mm
- Tarsus
- 106 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: eastern, central, western
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Kites, Hawks, Eagles Accipitridae
- Genus
- Gyps
Other birds in the genus Gyps
Himalayan VultureGyps himalayensis
White-rumped VultureGyps bengalensis
White-backed VultureGyps africanus
Indian VultureGyps indicus
Slender-billed VultureGyps tenuirostris
Cape VultureGyps coprotheres
Griffon VultureGyps fulvus
Pearl KiteGampsonyx swainsonii
Scissor-tailed KiteChelictinia riocourii
White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Athuman Komora Garisse. ↗
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