What is a Rüppells Griffon vulture?
– Rüppell’s Vulture (Gyps rueppellii) is a large vulture that ranges across central Africa. It is known as Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture in honour of the 19th-century German explorer, Eduard Ruppell. It also holds the record as the highest-flying bird after a Ruppell’s Vulture was sucked into a jet engine 37,730 feet above sea level. – Adults are close to one metre in length, with a wingspan of around 2.6m and weigh usually between 7 and 9 kilos. Males and females are mottled brown or black overall with a whitish-brown underbelly and thin, dirty-white fluff covering the head and neck. – Rüppell’s Vultures can wait for food for several days if necessary until a carnivore leaves a carcass. They have been known to take live prey on occasion, but this is rare.
