Himalayan vulture

Himalayan (Griffon) Vulture
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes, q.v.)
Family:	Accipitridae
Genus:	Gyps
Species:	G. himalayensis
Binomial name
Gyps himalayensis Hume, 1869

Juvenile in flight

The Himalayan Vulture or Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis) 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.

Adults are 103–150 cm (41–59 in) long, have a span of 260–310 cm (100–120 in) across the wings and weigh 8–12 kg (18–26 lb). Among extant birds of prey only the cinereous vulture approaches similar dimensions. It breeds on crags in mountains in the Himalayas and Tibet, laying a single egg. Birds may form loose colonies. The population is mostly resident.

Like other vultures it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of animals, which it finds by soaring over open areas and mountains. These birds often move in flocks.

The Himalayan Griffon Vulture is a typical vulture, with a bald white head, very broad wings, and short tail feathers. It is even larger than the European Griffon Vulture. It has a white neck ruff and yellow bill. The whitish body and wing coverts contrast with the dark flight feathers.

This vulture grunts and hisses at roosts or when feeding on carrion.

References

• Template:IUCN

External links

• Himalayan Griffon Vulture videos. The Internet Bird Collection