Hawks and eagles
Griffon Vulture
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Gyps fulvus
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Voice
Call
How to recognize it
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93–110 cm, wingspan 234–269 cm
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Huge vulture with a white head and neck ruff
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Brown body, dark flight feathers and tail
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Soaring with neck drawn in, fingered wingtips
About the species
Griffon Vulture spends much of the day on the wing, with long broad wings and a short tail that help it circle for hours. On the ground it looks awkward and lifts off with effort, then draws in its neck and holds its head forward in flight.
It usually moves in groups and is quieter than many other vultures, but it does give hissing and harsh croaking calls, especially when it has found food or is resting. It feeds only on carrion and often watches other scavengers to locate a carcass.
It lives in dry open country with rocks, cliffs, and mountain slopes, and also uses some steppe and semi-desert areas. The species stays year-round in parts of southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia, but outside the breeding season it can wander far from nesting areas.
Where to find
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On open high ground — embankments, big bridges, and old stone buildings — where griffon vultures can circle for ages on warm air currents.
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Around industrial edges and dump sites near carcasses, where the clue is a heavy, slow spiral overhead and the occasional harsh rasping call.
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Along steep riverbanks, quarries, and ravines — on bare ledges, where a bulky dark shape may land to sun itself on the edge.
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Over dry outskirts and open fields near livestock, usually soaring high and steadily, with the fingered wingtips easy to notice.
