More Information on the White-Headed Vulture: The Hawk Conservancy White Headed Vulture Stamps Bird Atlas Aegypius occipitalis VulturesAfrican Scavengers White Headed Vulture White Headed Vulture |
Size: Voice: Like most vultures, the White-headed is mostly silent. When defending a meal, however, it makes a noise described as "shrill chattering" Diet/Feeding: .Searching for food with their keen eyesight, the white-headed vulture soars high above the open landscape. It seeks out the remnants of recent kills, or undiscovered casualties of the harsh desert. Though the white-headed vulture feeds frequently on carrion, it is known to equally often hunt live prey to supplement its diet. This bird, with its strong talons unusual to members of the vulture family, is capable of tackling prey as large as flamingoes though it will also feed on small animals such as lizards. It is even rumored that this large bird will occasionally take a small antelope. Preferring freshly killed prey when available, this vulture does not seek out carcasses with the same fervor as its scavenging relatives. When the white-headed vulture visits a carcass, though it rarely arrives first, it immediately becomes the boss. Though it arrives alone or in pairs, it will push all vultures out of its way, with the exception of the powerful Lappet-Faced Vulture. Flight: Range/Habitat: The White-headed Vulture is a resident of Africa. It makes its home in the dry regions, being found north of the Orange River, and as far west as Senegal. Its range extends north to Eritrea. Most of these areas are devoid of trees, and the vulture is very comfortable in open areas such as plains--even the desert! It avoids contact with humans, and is rarely found close to settled areas. Behavior: A mostly solitary species, this vulture does not even form large congregations at a carcass. Life Cycle: Breeding: White-Headed Vultures build their stick-nests at the top of an acacia tree. The female lays a single egg, which she incubates for up to 43 days. Status: Folklore, Misc. Information: A White-Headed Vulture in many languages: Latin: Trigonoceps occipitalis, literally "triangular-headed" Spanish: Buitre de cabeza blanca Dutch: Witkopgier |
White-Headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) |
More Information on the White-Headed Vulture: The Hawk Conservancy White Headed Vulture Stamps Bird Atlas Aegypius occipitalis VulturesAfrican Scavengers White Headed Vulture White Headed Vulture |
