Two lappet-faced vultures in the savanna of the northern Serengeti
The Lappet-faced vulture or Nubian vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) is the only member of the genus Torgos. The species is patchily distributed through much of Africa, though it is absent from much of the central and western parts of the continent and declining elsewhere in its range. The lappet-faced vulture nests in Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, Sudan, southeastern Egypt, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, easternmost part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, northeastern South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, the Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Benin, the Central African Republic, southern Angola and possibly in Mauritania and Nigeria. Across the Red Sea, the species nests in Arabia, Yemen, Oman and the United Arab Emirates. This vulture prefers to live in dry savannah, thornbush, arid plains, deserts with scattered trees in wadis, open mountain slopes. They are usually found in undisturbed open country with a scattering of trees and apparently prefer areas with minimal grass cover. While foraging, they can wander into denser habitats and even into human habitated areas, especially if drawn to road kills. They may be found in elevation from sea-level to 4,500 m (14,800 ft). The lappet-faced vulture is a scavenging bird, feeding mostly from animal carcasses, which it finds by sight or by watching other vultures. Lappet-faced vultures are generally solitary birds. They do not nest in cohesive colonies as do many smaller vultures, with one tree or area usually only having 1 to 2 nests in it.
Size: 5472px × 3648px
Location: northern Serengeti, Tanzania
Photo credit: © Niall Ferguson / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: africa, african, benin, bird, botswana, burkina, carrion, chad, coast, egypt, ethiopia, faso, guinea, ivory, kenya, lappet-faced, malawi, mali, mozambique, namibia, niger, nubian, prey, rwanda, safari, senegal, serengeti, somalia, south, southeastern, sudan, swaziland, tanzania, torgos, tracheliotos, uganda, vulture, zambia, zimbabwe
