Hooded Vulture

SCIENTIFIC NAME

Necrosyrtus monachus

CLASSIFICATION

Class:

Aves

Order:

Falconiformes

Family:

Accipitridae

Genus:

Necrosyrtus

Species:

monachus

SIZE

Length:

Male:

22-24 inches

Female:

24-26 inches

Weight:

Male:

44 1/2 pounds

Female:

slightly larger

Wingspan:

Male:

5 feet

Female:

5 feet

APPEARANCE:

Hooded Vultures are the smallest and weakest vultures in their range. They are dark brown, have rather short, rounded tails and thin, weak beaks. The bare skin on their faces is reddish pink but may become bluish when the birds are excited or greenish-white when frightened. They have weak feet that are adapted for walking and running, not for clutching branches. Their wings are long, and the birds can soar for long periods. The bill is particularly long and narrow, giving an easy way to identify Hooded Vultures from other vultures. The bird gets its common name from the wool-like down that covers the lower throat and rear of the neck that resembles a hood. From a distance, the Hooded Vulture may be mistaken for the Lappet-faced Vulture in color, but Hooded Vultures are only half the size.

RANGE/DISTRIBUTION:

Hooded Vultures are Old World Vultures and are not closely related to the vultures of North and South America. They range widely in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. They are most numerous in West Africa.

HABITAT/TERRITORY SIZE:

These birds are the only vultures in Africa that are commonly found around towns and villages as well as in forests. They depend on the presence of places like slaughterhouses and open markets and are less reliant on carrion than other vultures. Their habitats include open plains, savannas, forests, coastal areas, and villages. It is the only vulture species that will venture into wet forest areas.

MIGRATION:

Hooded Vultures are a non-migratory bird.

DIET:

Hooded Vultures are scavengers that consume food from a variety of sources. They are opportunistic feeders with decaying flesh (carrion) from animal carcasses making up the principal source of their diet. Because of its relatively small size and weak bill, it generally waits its turn at a carcass to pick up minor scraps left behind by larger vultures. In towns and cities, they search for food in refuse dumps and gutters and interact extensively with humans. On seashores, they feed at low tide on mussels, spiny lobsters, mollusks, dead fish and other stranded edibles. They are not in the position of being picky eaters so will also eat grasshoppers, grubs, and locusts.

Like other vultures, Hooded Vultures cannot expect to eat every day since carcasses might not be available. To compensate, their crops and gizzards can be distended to hold enough food to last for several days. Even young vultures survive well without daily feedings.

HUNTING METHOD:

Because they are smaller than other vultures in the area, the Hooded Vulture can take off more quickly using a thermal to gain altitude and is often the first to find a carcass. Hooded Vultures detect dead animals by sight. They sometimes gorge so heavily that they can scarcely fly.

BREEDING INFORMATION:

Hooded Vultures are silent birds and mated pairs are devoted to each other, roosting together outside the breeding season. They will usually roost close to their preferred breeding site. The nest will be 20-120 feet high in a tree with their favorite nesting trees being silk cotton and baobabs if there are any in the territory. They construct huge stick nests lined with green leaves that will be used year after year.

The female lays and incubates a single egg that has reddish spots on a whitish base. Incubation lasts 46 days, and the male provides food for the female during this time. The young chick is helpless and must be watched carefully by the parents until the chick is 21 days old. The male will provide food for both the female and the chick. Feeding by both parents then becomes a rigorous ordeal, especially as its first flight will not be until the chick is 120 days old and easily as large as the parents. The fledgling vulture will still require some parental care until it becomes independent about one month after its first flight.

BEHAVIOR:

Like other vultures, Hooded Vultures, in spite of their apparently “unappetizing” manner of feeding, are actually quite clean birds and bathe frequently. They are very valuable birds to have around because they clear up all sorts of refuse that, if left unchecked, could cause illness and disease.

Bolder than most, the Hooded Vulture is often known to approach man. One common behavior is the vulture’s habit of following a plow in order to enjoy the healthy grubs and insects it turns up.

STATUS:

Hooded Vultures are common throughout their range. The African villagers recognize the birds as doing a necessary job and do not harm or hunt them. In fact, Hooded Vultures are so comfortable around humans that they are frequently seen hopping in and out of huts while the humans walk around them.

FOLKLORE AND MYTHS:

A legend of the Yoruba tribe of western Africa tells of a time when the land was dry from lack of rain and the crops were dying. In order to make a sacrifice to the storm god, a ram was killed and put in a basket to be carried to heaven. All of the birds busied themselves with other tasks so they would not have to perform the lowly task of carrying the ram to heaven. Finally, the vulture, whom nobody liked, agreed to carry the sacrifice. At once, rain fell upon the land. When the vulture returned, he found that his home had been flooded and destroyed. When he went to the other birds for help, they all turned him away. To this day, the vulture remains an outcast, eating food from dumps; and he remains bald because the fire of the sacrifice scorched the feathers from his head and neck.

On Africa’s Gold Coast, the royal family at Kumasi values the Hooded Vulture’s scavenging work and holds the bird as sacred and protects it by law.

The scientific name, Necrosyrtes monachus, literally means “ a monk-like (bird) that drags away the dead.”

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Honolulu Zoo, Honolulu, Hawaii, www.honoluluzoo.org
Internet site: www.vultures.homestead.com
Internet site: www.lairweb.org.nz