Vultures
1. Turkey Vulture:
1. Turkey Vulture:
- Size & Shape Turkey Vultures are large dark birds with long, broad wings. Bigger than other raptors except eagles and condors, they have long "fingers" at their wingtips and long tails that extend past their toe tips in flight. When soaring, Turkey Vultures hold their wings slightly raised, making a ‘V’ when seen head-on.
- Color Pattern Turkey Vultures appear black from a distance but up close are dark brown with a featherless red head and pale bill. While most of their body and forewing are dark, the undersides of the flight feathers (along the trailing edge and wingtips) are paler, giving a two-toned appearance.
- Size & Shape Black Vultures are large raptors. In flight, they hold their broad, rounded wings flat and angled slightly forward. The tail is very short and rounded. They have small, bare heads and narrow but strongly hooked bills.
- Color Pattern These birds are uniform black except for white patches or “stars” on the underside of their wingtips (this can be hard to see in strong light or from far away). The bare skin of the head is black.
CallsBlack Vultures are silent most of the time. They make raspy, drawn-out hissing sounds while feeding and fighting, along with grunting noises that can sound like hungry pigs or dogs barking in the distance. Courting vultures may give a yapping sound. Nestlings give low hisses or coughs to beg for food, and adults at the nest sometimes give creaky, pigeonlike coos.
3. Cape Vulture:
Cape vulture description Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order:Falconiformes Family: Accipitridae Genus:Gyps This majestic bird is a member of the Old World vulture family (Accipitridae), and is found only in southern Africa. It has a creamy-buff body plumage, which contrasts with its dark flight and tail feathers and its black bill . Adults can be distinguished by their honey-coloured eyes and naked, bluish throat, whilst juveniles have brown eyes and a pink neck. When these huge scavengers are flying, the pale, almost silvery, under-side wing feathers can be seen.
Also known as Cape griffon. Synonyms:Gyps fulvus coprotheres, Vultur coprotheres. French,Vautour chassefiente,Spanish,Buitre El Cabo. Length: up to 115 cm Sound
4. Griffon Vulture:
Eurasian griffon description Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves OrderFalconiformes Family: Accipitridae Genus: Gyps A large, carnivorous scavenger, the Eurasian griffon (Gyps fulvus) may be seen soaring majestically on thermal currents in the warmer, rugged areas of countries surrounding the Mediterranean as it searches for food .
The Eurasian griffon has an impressive creamy-white ruff (a ring of conspicuously coloured feather which project from around the neck), which matches the colour of the head and neck. The body and upper-wing plumage of the Eurasian griffon is pale brown, contrasting beautifully with the dark flight feathers on the rest of the wings and tail. This contrast is most noticeable in juvenile birds which have particularly pale upper-wing feathers.
A fairly vocal bird, the Eurasian griffon produces a range of different calls when interacting with other Eurasian griffons. For example, a drawn out hissing sound is produced by dominant birds when feeding, and a wooden-sounding chattering occurs when another Eurasian griffon ventures too close.
Also known as Eurasian griffon vulture, Griffon vulture. FrenchVautor fauve.SizeLength: 95 - 105 cm Tail length: 24 - 29 cm Wingspan: 240 - 280 cm Weight6 - 11 kg
- 1. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/turkey_vulture/id 2. http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Vulture/id/ac 3. http://www.treknature.com/gallery/Africa/South_Africa/photo201030.htm 4. http://www.arkive.org/eurasian-griffon/gyps-fulvus/