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  Profile

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  In flight

Vultures & Condors

Cinereous Vulture

Aegypius monachus

• uncommon
• 40 km/h
• Near Threatened

The largest bird of prey in Europe, with a 10-foot wingspan. Carries messages on a wing the size of a door.

Population

16,800–22,800 mature individuals (8,400–11,400 pairs), global population decreasing overall (Europe increasing/recovering via reintroduction, Asia declining)

Habitat

Mountainous and hilly terrain, dry semi-open habitats such as high-altitude meadows, temperate forest, grassland and alpine steppe, nesting in trees or on rocky cliffs, at elevations from roughly 300 to 4,500 m

Fun fact

The Cinereous Vulture is one of the world's heaviest flying birds (females up to about 14 kg) and possesses a specialized hemoglobin subunit giving its blood unusually high oxygen affinity, letting it soar at extreme altitudes — it has been recorded at roughly 6,970 m (22,870 ft) on the slopes of Mount Everest.

Range

Breeds across southern Europe (Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria, Greece) through Turkey, the Caucasus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, Mongolia, China and Korea; winters south into the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iran), the Indian subcontinent (Pakistan, India, Nepal) and parts of East Africa (Sudan)

Diet

Obligate scavenger feeding almost exclusively on carrion of large mammals (sheep, deer, yak, bharal carcasses depending on region), with a powerful bill enabling access to bone and deep tissue on large carcasses; occasionally fish or reptile remains

Size

1.1 m

Wingspan

2.8 m

Lifespan

39 years