Scientific Name:
Gyps fulvus
Distribution
NW Africa, Spain, Balkans, Turkey and Middle East, Afghanistan, Pakistan Mediterranean basin.
Diet:
Scavenger. Exclusively carrion, from which it eats muscles and viscera.
Facts
Habitat: From mountains to semi desert
Incubation: 50-58 days / 1 egg
Social structure: colonies of 15-20 pairs, but can reach up to 150 pairs.
Weight: 6-10kg
Dimensions: Length 93-110cm, wing span 2.4 -2.7cm
Lifespan: up to 37 under human care
Estimated population in the wild: 80,000-900,000
Threats: Poisoning, reduced availability of food sources due to changes in agricultural and farming methods, illegal shooting, wind energy development.
IUCN Status: Least concern
Did you know that:
Their population in our country is estimated at 170 - 200 pairs (140 in Crete) and is the last healthy population in the Balkans. Their status in Greece is Vulnerable, but the populations in the mainland and Cyclades are considered as Critically Εndangered.