Raptor: Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture
Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture vs Griffon Vulture and vs African White-backed Vulture
Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture vs Griffon Vulture and vs African White-backed Vulture
AWBV:
- Short wings, closed hands, very slim body. Roughly 50% smaller than EGV and 30% than RGV.
- Has 12 tail-feathers. Dark greyish tarsus, blacker than other vultures.
- Short black bill, jet black facial mark.
- Black neck skin.
- Body feathers, especially undertail coverts, intermediate pale streaking lacking any spot at feather-tip.
- Dull greyish greater coverts, lacking any pale markings.
- Upperwing plain, uniform sandy/brown with uniform brownish greater coverts.
RGV:
- Relatively short wings, closed hand, slim body. Roughly 30% in weight of EGV, and it generally looks slimmer and less bulky bellied.
- Has 14 tail-feathers.
- Very long billed, flat forehead, bill becomes pale during second or third plumage.
- Neck skin deep red; blue circular patches. Dark feathers on the neck.
- Broad pale streaking with pale spots at feathers-tip (anchor in juveniles) in body feathers, especially in undertail coverts.
- Greater coverts black with pale tips, particularly evident in primary coverts; lacking lateral fringe.
- Upperwing scaled with several rows of black pale-tipped feathers (greater and median coverts).
EGV:
- Long-winged, square wings, massive body. Looking notoriously heavy and bulky both in flight and perched.
- Has 14 tail-feathers.
- Squared head, bill dark until third or fourth plumage.
- Neck skin blue-greyish; blue circular patches.
- Body feathers, especially undertail coverts, usually uniform although sometimes with a pale streaking.
- Greater and primary coverts from white to an almost black feather, but always entirely pale fringe.
- Upperwing plain, uniform griffon/sandy except dark greater coverts with a visible pale fringe.
Abstract from: Rodríguez, G. & Elorriaga, J. 2016. Identification of Rüpell’s Vulture and White-backed Vulture and vagrancy in the WP. Dutch Birding 38.
Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture, 2nd Plumage
Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture, 2nd Plumage
Gyps rueppellii
2nd Plumage
Gallery
Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture vs Griffon Vulture
Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture vs Griffon Vulture
Most Rüppell’s in Europe are observed in the extreme southern Iberia peninsula, mostly 2cy birds between february and november, but especially during their movements between Senegambia and Spain.
In addition to being a darker and smaller vulture, Rüppell’s characteristics are the pattern of the patagium, the clear margins of the greater and upper tail coverts, as well as the arrow pattern of the body feathers. There are other aspects such as the greater extent of moult, the more triangular head, the reddish neck, etc.
Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture
RÜPPELL’S GRIFFON VULTURE · Gyps rueppellii
L: 85-100 cm. WS: 230-250 cm. Wing: ♂ ♀ 670-710 mm. Weight: ♂ ♀ 6.500-9.000 g. Longevity < 30 years old.
Coordinators: Alex Ollé & Joan Goy
Taxonomy:
· rueppellii (Narrow strip of sub-Saharan Africa, Senegambia to Sudan and Tanzania).
· erlangeri (Etiopía and Somalia).
Status:
Basically resident, with important dispersal movements. In the early 1990s it began to be detected with some regularity in Morocco and the extreme south of the Iberian Peninsula. It is now a regular bird with dozens of annual observations, especially of immature individuals between August and November, although individuals of any age and time of year can be observed. There are also numerous observations throughout Spain, and exceptionally also in France. These birds come to Europe naturally, through their association with the Griffon Vulture that winters in the Sahel, mainly in Senegambia.
Moult:
Second plumage: january to december 2cy. Until September of the second calendar year moults the 4-5 innermost moulted primaries.
Third plumage: from february to September 3cy. By September of the third calendar year it has moulted p6-8, even reaching p9. Most secondaries are juveniles.
During 4cy it moults the last outermost juvenile primaries (p8-9) and p10, and by the end of the period it has moulted most secondaries.
Sexing:
Sexes cannot be identified in field.
Similar species:
Griffon Vulture, White-backed Vulture, Lappet-faced Vulture.
Bibliography:
FORSMAN, D. 2016. Flight identification of raptors of Europe, north Africa and the Middle East. Bloomsbury.
OLLÉ, A. & TRABALON, F. 2019. Aves rapaces de Europa. Omega.