Image: White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus

Description: The White-backed Vulture, Gyps africanus, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is closely related to the European Griffon Vulture, G. fulvus. Sometimes it is called African White-backed Vulture to distinguish it from the Oriental White-backed Vulture ? nowadays usually called Indian White-rumped Vulture ? to which it was formerly believed to be closely related. The White-backed Vulture is a typical vulture, with only down feathers on the head and neck, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff. The adult?s whitish back contrasts with the otherwise dark plumage. Juveniles are largely dark. This is a medium-sized vulture; its body mass is 4.2 to 7.2 kilograms (9.3?16 lb), it is 94 cm (37 in) long and has a 218 cm (86 in) wingspan. Like other vultures it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of animals which it finds by soaring over savannah and around human habitation. It often moves in flocks. It breeds in trees on the savannah of west and east Africa, laying one egg. The population is mostly resident.
Title: White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus
Credit: In search of the Maltese Falcon #13 - White Backed Vulture, Malta Falconry Centre Uploaded by Babbage
Author: John Haslam from Dornoch, Scotland
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0
License: CC BY 2.0
License Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0
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