Necrosyrtes monachus
The Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) is Africa's smallest and most widespread Old World Vulture, instantly recognizable by its bare, pale pinkish head and neck, contrasting sharply with a dark, downy "hood" of feathers and overall scruffy dark grey-brown plumage. Measuring 62-72 cm in length, boasting a wingspan of 155-165 cm, and weighing 1.5-2.6 kg, its relatively modest size and square-tipped tail are key identification features, especially in flight. Taxonomically, it belongs to the ...
This adaptable scavenger thrives in diverse semi-open habitats, including savannas, open woodlands, and scrubland, with a notable preference for areas near human settlements, urban fringes, and rural villages, predominantly at low elevations.
Primarily a carrion feeder, it specializes in offal, smaller carcasses, and scraps, but also readily consumes insects, small live prey (such as lizards or fledglings), human refuse, and occasionally palm oil fruits, exhibiting a highly opportunistic scavenging behavior.
Hooded Vultures are diurnal, typically departing communal roosts in tall trees at dawn to begin their day's foraging, often individually or in small, loose groups. Their foraging strategy is highly opportunistic; they are frequently among the first vultures to arrive at smaller carcasses, offal, ...
The Hooded Vulture maintains a vast, though increasingly fragmented, distribution across Sub-Saharan Africa, extending from the Atlantic coast of West Africa eastward through the Sahel and Horn of Africa, and southward into much of Central and Southern Africa. Its presence is noted in numerous co...
Critically Endangered
- The Hooded Vulture is the smallest of Africa's Old World Vultures, enabling it to access food in tight spaces and crevices. - Often nicknamed "dustbin vulture" or "garbage vulture" due to its common habit of scavenging human refuse in villages and towns. - They are frequently among the first vu...