Lappet-faced Vulture
The head and neck are pinkish, while the plumage is mainly brown and grey. The bird’s belly is significantly lighter than its back, though it has brown coverts that give it a striped appearance.
Appearance
The head and also the neck are pinkish, with the plumage being mainly brown and grey. The bird's underside is significantly lighter than its back, but it has brown cover feathers that give the bird a striped appearance. An average Lappet-faced Vulture can reach a total body length of 115 centimetres and a wingspan of up to 290 centimetres. The body weight can range from 5 to 8 kilograms.
Lifestyle
What is the lifestyle of Lappet-faced Vultures in Africa? Lappet-faced Vultures are usually alone or in small groups, only where there is water or food can they be found in larger flocks, which soon disperse again. The animals' preferred habitat is savannas, semi-deserts and even deserts. Here they can mainly be found in the Kruger National Park, but they are also found in Central and North Africa.
Also related to the lifestyle of Lappet-faced Vultures is their diet, which mainly consists of carrion. However, it can also happen that these large birds feed on vertebrates, which they hunt with their sharp beak. Depending on where the vultures live, they breed at different times of the year, building nests that can be up to 2.2 metres wide.
Reproduction
The vultures have fixed partners with whom they jointly care for and protect the eggs. The incubation period is between 54 and 56 days, with only one chick fledging. The young bird needs almost constant protection from the sun in its youth, so that at least one parent must always remain at the nest while the other partner searches for food.
