Post by avianaves on Dec 5, 2011 10:28:31 GMT -5
Lappet-faced Vulture - Torgos tracheliotus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Torgos
Species: Torgos tracheliotos
Range:
A fairly common resident, they are found throughout the more arid parts of Africa from the northwest Sahara east to the northeast Sudan and south to Cape Province and the Namib Desert. They may be seen in Arabia and are known to breed in Isreal. Normally, they are found in plains habitats, preferring subdeserts, but they are also found in east African-Ethiopian Highlands, sometimes up to 4000 m. They are the commonest large vulture in subdesert southwest Africa. They are decreasing in Namibia, probably also in northwest Africa to northern Sudan, but they are probably stable in east and central Africa. At present, they are not threatened, except in Namibia.
Size: Length: 115 cm; Wingspan: 258 - 266 cm; Weight: approx 15 lbs (6.8kg)
Diet:
Chiefly carrion and mainly flesh. They can also eat sinews, bones, and skin not eaten by griffons. They may kill small weak animals, probably by impact at strike. They have a powerful grip and often raid flamingo colonies, killing both adults and young and eating their eggs. They also eat locusts and flying termites.
Description:
A huge, massive- billed vulture, adults have a crimson head and neck and streaked underparts with white 'pants' which contrast with the dark body and underwings in flight. The adult's head and neck are naked, pink, and with large fleshy ear-like lappets on the sides of the face. They have a ruff of short brown feathers and the crop patch is dark brown. The body above is dark brown. Below, the upperbreast has short brown feathers surrounded by white down. The feathers of the lower breast and abdomen are long, lanceolate, brown, edged whitish, and more or less obscure the white body down. The thighs are unfeathered and covered with white down. The tail and wing feathers are uniform dark brown to black. The eye is brown, the cere is whitish, the legs are bluish grey, and the bill is greenish brown and tipped yellowish. Males are slightly smaller than females. Immature vultures have dark 'pants' and various amounts of white mottling on the mantle. They resemble adults, but the neck skin is paler, brownish, and with some white down on the head. The thighs are brownish. In flight, their long broad wings have a blackish appearance and the wedge-shaped tail and white downy thighs are distinctive. The long feathers of the ruff can be raised to frame the head.
Natural History:
Very well known, these vultures inhabit semi-arid, semi-desert scrub, deserts, and thornbush and are often the commonest large vulture. They are normally solitary or, at most, in small groups. In some subdesert areas, they may be the commonest large vulture and are, therefore, more gregarious, up to 40 - 50 occurring together. They fly using thermal currents in flat country and updraughts in mountainious areas. At carcasses, they form a species pair with White-headed Vultures but the Lappet-faced is much more powerful and aggressive. They usually arrive later than other vultures, but are sometimes the first to break into the carcass with heavy sideways blows of their powerful bill. When feeding with other vultures, they normally remain on the outskirts of the carcass and attack others, stealing flesh from them. They can dominate all other vulture species, but are themselves often robbed by Jackals. When threatening others, they will run forward with their head lowered, neck outstreatched, back feathers erected, wings partly spread, and tail often cocked vertically. The attacked bird usually retreats or abandons its prey, but a struggle may ensue when one Lappet-faced Vulture attacks another. Feeding alone, the powerful head and bill allow them to eat tough sinews, dry skin, and small bones not utilized by griffons. When feeding, they hold the carcass down with their feet and tear off large pieces of muscle and skin with great force. They are often seen sunning after feeding. They roost in trees in open plains and a pair will often roost close together on the same or adjacent trees. Roosting sights may be reused for several nights. Their nests are solitary and normally dispersed in individual territories. Where abundant, the nests may be close together, possibly several nests in one tree. Their is no obvious breeding display other than pairs often soaring wingtip to wingtip. Nests are normally made in tree tops 3 - 15 m above the ground and completely open to the sun. Nests are occassionally made on the lateral brance of a large tree growing on a steep slope. Thorny tree species are preferred, but they will also nest in broad-leaved trees. The nest is a huge, flattish structure up to 3 m accross and 1 m thick, with a broad shallow central depression. It is lined with dry grass and, later, carpeted with hair and skin from carcasses. Pairs normally have 1 - 3 nests and may use them alternately. They will reuse stable nests annually or will build new ones. Both sexes help build the nest and one or both birds will usually roost in or beside the nest, or in the nest tree, sometimes year round. Usually, one broad, oval, dull white, spotted and blotched with brown egg is layed and both parents will incubate for approximately 53 days. Young can fly weakly at 115 days and normally at 125 - 135 days. After their first flight, the young usually remain near the nest for 1 - 2 months. They may remain dependent on their parents for up to 6 months after their first flight. Although newly fledged young cannot effectively compete with adults at carcasses, they can successfully compete with griffons, White-backed, or smaller vultures. Not all Lappet-faced Vulture pairs breed annually, and young disperse from breeding areas at random.
Personal History:
Lyle - Acquired from the Baltimore Zoo in 1999 at 7 months old.
www.naturalencounters.com/vultures.html
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Torgos
Species: Torgos tracheliotos
Range:
A fairly common resident, they are found throughout the more arid parts of Africa from the northwest Sahara east to the northeast Sudan and south to Cape Province and the Namib Desert. They may be seen in Arabia and are known to breed in Isreal. Normally, they are found in plains habitats, preferring subdeserts, but they are also found in east African-Ethiopian Highlands, sometimes up to 4000 m. They are the commonest large vulture in subdesert southwest Africa. They are decreasing in Namibia, probably also in northwest Africa to northern Sudan, but they are probably stable in east and central Africa. At present, they are not threatened, except in Namibia.
Size: Length: 115 cm; Wingspan: 258 - 266 cm; Weight: approx 15 lbs (6.8kg)
Diet:
Chiefly carrion and mainly flesh. They can also eat sinews, bones, and skin not eaten by griffons. They may kill small weak animals, probably by impact at strike. They have a powerful grip and often raid flamingo colonies, killing both adults and young and eating their eggs. They also eat locusts and flying termites.
Description:
A huge, massive- billed vulture, adults have a crimson head and neck and streaked underparts with white 'pants' which contrast with the dark body and underwings in flight. The adult's head and neck are naked, pink, and with large fleshy ear-like lappets on the sides of the face. They have a ruff of short brown feathers and the crop patch is dark brown. The body above is dark brown. Below, the upperbreast has short brown feathers surrounded by white down. The feathers of the lower breast and abdomen are long, lanceolate, brown, edged whitish, and more or less obscure the white body down. The thighs are unfeathered and covered with white down. The tail and wing feathers are uniform dark brown to black. The eye is brown, the cere is whitish, the legs are bluish grey, and the bill is greenish brown and tipped yellowish. Males are slightly smaller than females. Immature vultures have dark 'pants' and various amounts of white mottling on the mantle. They resemble adults, but the neck skin is paler, brownish, and with some white down on the head. The thighs are brownish. In flight, their long broad wings have a blackish appearance and the wedge-shaped tail and white downy thighs are distinctive. The long feathers of the ruff can be raised to frame the head.
Natural History:
Very well known, these vultures inhabit semi-arid, semi-desert scrub, deserts, and thornbush and are often the commonest large vulture. They are normally solitary or, at most, in small groups. In some subdesert areas, they may be the commonest large vulture and are, therefore, more gregarious, up to 40 - 50 occurring together. They fly using thermal currents in flat country and updraughts in mountainious areas. At carcasses, they form a species pair with White-headed Vultures but the Lappet-faced is much more powerful and aggressive. They usually arrive later than other vultures, but are sometimes the first to break into the carcass with heavy sideways blows of their powerful bill. When feeding with other vultures, they normally remain on the outskirts of the carcass and attack others, stealing flesh from them. They can dominate all other vulture species, but are themselves often robbed by Jackals. When threatening others, they will run forward with their head lowered, neck outstreatched, back feathers erected, wings partly spread, and tail often cocked vertically. The attacked bird usually retreats or abandons its prey, but a struggle may ensue when one Lappet-faced Vulture attacks another. Feeding alone, the powerful head and bill allow them to eat tough sinews, dry skin, and small bones not utilized by griffons. When feeding, they hold the carcass down with their feet and tear off large pieces of muscle and skin with great force. They are often seen sunning after feeding. They roost in trees in open plains and a pair will often roost close together on the same or adjacent trees. Roosting sights may be reused for several nights. Their nests are solitary and normally dispersed in individual territories. Where abundant, the nests may be close together, possibly several nests in one tree. Their is no obvious breeding display other than pairs often soaring wingtip to wingtip. Nests are normally made in tree tops 3 - 15 m above the ground and completely open to the sun. Nests are occassionally made on the lateral brance of a large tree growing on a steep slope. Thorny tree species are preferred, but they will also nest in broad-leaved trees. The nest is a huge, flattish structure up to 3 m accross and 1 m thick, with a broad shallow central depression. It is lined with dry grass and, later, carpeted with hair and skin from carcasses. Pairs normally have 1 - 3 nests and may use them alternately. They will reuse stable nests annually or will build new ones. Both sexes help build the nest and one or both birds will usually roost in or beside the nest, or in the nest tree, sometimes year round. Usually, one broad, oval, dull white, spotted and blotched with brown egg is layed and both parents will incubate for approximately 53 days. Young can fly weakly at 115 days and normally at 125 - 135 days. After their first flight, the young usually remain near the nest for 1 - 2 months. They may remain dependent on their parents for up to 6 months after their first flight. Although newly fledged young cannot effectively compete with adults at carcasses, they can successfully compete with griffons, White-backed, or smaller vultures. Not all Lappet-faced Vulture pairs breed annually, and young disperse from breeding areas at random.
Personal History:
Lyle - Acquired from the Baltimore Zoo in 1999 at 7 months old.
www.naturalencounters.com/vultures.html