Eurasian Black Vulture

Encyclopedia : E : EU : EUR : Eurasian Black Vulture

The Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) is also known as the Monk Vulture, the Cinereous Vulture, or just the Black Vulture. It is the only species in the genus Aegypius.

It is a very large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers.

This bird is an Old World vulture, and is not related to the New World vultures which are in a separate family Cathartidae. It is therefore also unrelated to the American Black Vulture despite the similar name and coloration.

It breeds across southern Europe and Asia from Spain to Japan, but is endangered throughout its European range. It is resident except in those parts of its range where hard winters cause limited movement.

This vulture is 110-115 cm long with a 250-285 cm wingspan. It breeds in high mountains and large forests, nesting in trees. It has all dark plumage, and even at a distance can be distinguished from Griffon Vulture by its evenly broad "barn door" wings. It has the typical vulture "bald" head, and dark markings around the eye give it a menacing skull like appearance.

The Eurasian Black Vulture is usually larger than Griffon Vulture. Its more powerful bill is better suited to initially opening carcasses, and it takes priority over Griffons at corpses.

Gallery

References

• BirdLife International (2006). [Aegypius monachus]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 10 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is near threatened

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.