| White-headed vulture | |
|---|---|
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| At Las Águilas Jungle Park, Tenerife, Spain | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Trigonoceps Lesson, 1842 |
| Species: | T. occipitalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Trigonoceps occipitalis (Burchell, 1824) |
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The white-headed vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) is an Old World vulture endemic to Africa. It has a pink beak and a white crest, and the featherless areas on its head are pale. It has dark brown upper parts and black tail feathers. The feathers on its lower parts and legs are white. It has a wing span of 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) and spends a lot of time soaring looking for food. It roosts in tall trees near to water at night.
Description[edit]
The white-headed vulture is a medium-sized vulture, 72–85 cm (28–34 in) in length and 207–230 cm (82–91 in) in wingspan.[2][3] Females weigh more than males; they usually weigh around 4.7 kg (10.4 lbs), while males weigh 4 kg (8.8 lbs) or less.
Status[edit]
The white-headed vulture is rarer than previously believed, its conservation status was changed from Least Concern to Vulnerable in the 2007 IUCN Red List.[1]
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At Adlerwarte Berlebeck, Germany
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Flying in Kruger National Park, South Africa
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At Kasteeltuinen Arcen, Netherlands
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At Las Aguilas Jungle Park, Tenerife, Spain
References[edit]
- ^ a b BirdLife International (2012). "Trigonoceps occipitalis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ^ www.arkive
- ^ google books
- BirdLife International (2007a): [ 2006-2007 Red List status changes ]. Retrieved 2007-AUG-26.
- BirdLife International (2007b): White-headed Vulture - BirdLife Species Factsheet. Retrieved 2007-MAY-21.
External links[edit]
- White-headed vulture - Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds.
- Vulture culture on Lairweb
- Raptors of Namibia
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