All information on the griffon vulture

The griffon vulture: bald and a huge wingspan

The griffon vulture is a very large bird and is certainly not a handsome sight. Its head has little hair and often has a stern look. Yet a head and neck without feathers has many advantages. One is that no food particles get stuck in them. These can make the griffon vulture sick. With a wingspan of sometimes up to 2.80 meters, the griffon vulture is a huge shadow in the sky. And that they can remain so suspended in the air is very clever when you consider that an adult griffon vulture weighs between 6 and 11 pounds. This makes it one of the largest (flying) birds in the world.

What does the griffon vulture look like?

The griffon vulture is light to dark brown in color. Its head and neck are white, as is the collar between the neck and the rest of its body. The flight feathers (feathers used for flying) are darker and sometimes even black. Young griffon vultures are slightly darker in color. They become lighter in color later in life.

Vultures often look somewhat fearsome up close. This is due to their sharp beaks and long nails. They use these to tear their prey into nice bite-sized pieces while eating. Yet the beak and legs of a griffon vulture are not as enormously strong as they look.

The habitat of griffon vultures, from Asia to the Netherlands

Griffon vultures are found over much of the world. Unfortunately, they are not so often spotted in the Netherlands anymore. The vulture does have a large distribution area. From Southern Europe to Central Asia and parts of Africa, the griffon vulture can be spotted here and there near steep cliffs and mountain sides. They prefer dry valleys near mountains and steppes. Irregular rocky or mountainous areas are home to them. These places allow them to float best on the warm air currents. They also use the rock faces to rest and nest.

Would you like to spot griffon vultures in real life? They can be found in the Pyrenees between Spain and France, but of course also in Safaripark Beekse Bergen!

From egg to baby griffon vulture

Griffon vultures have a long period in which they lay eggs. From the beginning of the year until September, you can find griffon vultures building a nest. This also means that if the first nest fails, there is another chance to make a nest later in the year until May. The griffon vulture nests in groups of fewer than 20 pairs. They usually use cracks in steep rock faces for this purpose . The nest generally contains only one egg per nest. The responsibility of incubating the egg lies with both the female and the male. After about 45 days, the egg hatches with a chick. The chick remains in the nest for six months until he or she spreads his or her wings and goes out into the wide world. Mom and dad stay together after their young are born because griffon vultures are monogamous; that means they stay together all their lives.

What does a griffon vulture eat?

Griffon vultures eat the carcasses of medium to large animals. Because griffon vultures are often in the mountains, their menu often consists of mountain goats and deer, but farm animals are not safe from this hunter either. Griffon vultures rarely catch their own live prey. But when they do have to do so because there are no carcasses, they seek out sick or injured animals. For most animals, eating rotting dead animals is not good at all. Only the griffon vulture has a handy trick for that. They have super strong and acidic gastric juice in which no bacteria can survive.

Curious about what the vultures in Safaripark Beekse Bergen get to eat? Ranger Brent will show you!

Hunting together

Griffon vultures often hunt together in a group. This way they help each other to find food. When one of the birds dives down, the other knows there may be a bite to pick up. They soar for miles through the air, searching for food with their amazing vision. While eating, the griffon vultures make a lot of noise. The most dominant of the bunch makes loud, hissing noises to which the others respond with growls.

Want to see how the vultures are fed? Come visit us at Safaripark Beekse Bergen!

The diving flight of the griffon vulture

With its enormous wingspan, the griffon vulture travels hundreds of kilometers per day. They can fly up to 70 kilometers per hour in the air. In contrast, they often seem to hang still in the air. This elegant hovering of theirs is because they cleverly use heated air currents. They flap their wings as little as possible so they can conserve energy.

Facts about the griffon vulture

• Did you know that the urine of a griffon vulture acts as a cleaning agent? Griffon vultures urinate along their own legs to ensure that parasites and critters they have taken from a carcass are killed.

• Griffon vultures have very good eyes. Did you know that they can spot their prey from up to 6.5 kilometers away?

Conservation

Fortunately, the status of the griffon vulture is safe. But unfortunately, many of the species you see in our park are endangered and struggling in their native habitats. Did you know that worldwide more than 4,000 animal species threatened with extinction are endangered? Together we can help them, with big, or small steps. Want to know how? Then click here.