# Cape Vulture (*gyps coprotheres*) The Cape Vulture is a large bird known for its impressive wingspan. These vultures help keep nature clean by eating dead animals! - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Habitat:** Cape Vultures live in open grasslands and savannas in southern Africa. - **Also known as:** Cape Griffon ![Cape Vulture](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Gyps_coprotheres_-St_Augustine_Alligator_Farm%252C_St._Augustine%252C_Florida-8a-3c.jpg&width=800) Photo: Gyps_coprotheres_-St_Augustine_Alligator_Farm,_St._Augustine,_Florida-8a.jpg : Gregory Moine derivative work: Snowmanradio ( talk ), CC BY 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gyps_coprotheres_-St_Augustine_Alligator_Farm%252C_St._Augustine%252C_Florida-8a-3c.jpg) ## Appearance The Cape Vulture is a large, pale-bodied raptor with striking dark flight feathers. Its long, bare bluish-grey neck and head, which can flush pink, contrast sharply with its creamy plumage, making it visually distinctive. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Accipitriformes - **Family:** Accipitridae - **Genus:** Gyps ## Interesting facts - Baby Cape Vultures are covered in fluffy white down and are called 'chicks'. - Cape Vultures have a 'crop' to store a giant meal for later! - They build huge nests on steep cliff ledges for safety! - They can fly incredibly high, sometimes up to 10,000 feet (3,000 meters)! ## Special abilities - **Thermal Soaring:** Cape Vultures can soar effortlessly for hours using warm air currents, helping them save energy over vast distances. - **Iron Stomach:** Cape Vultures have a super acidic stomach that destroys harmful bacteria in rotting meat, keeping them healthy. - **Communal Spotters:** Cape Vultures often find food by watching other vultures, which helps them locate distant carcasses faster. - **Bare Neck Advantage:** Cape Vultures have a featherless neck that helps them stay clean while feeding deep inside carcasses. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 96-115 cm - **Wingspan:** 226-260 cm - **Weight:** 7-11 kg - **Lifespan:** 20-35 years - **Speed:** 60 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 1 - **Incubation:** 55-60 days ## Diet & Feeding These magnificent birds are nature's clean-up crew, eating only dead animals to keep ecosystems tidy! - **Primary Foods:** carcasses of large mammals, dead birds, small carrion - **Foraging Method:** Scavenging ## Ecological connections - **Eats:** domestic cattle (*Bos taurus*) — Eats dead cattle, helping to clean up farm landscapes. - **Eats:** blue wildebeest (*Connochaetes taurinus*) — Scavenges on carcasses of wildebeest, preventing disease. - **Eaten by:** Verreaux's Eagle (*Aquila verreauxii*) — Eggs and chicks can be prey for large raptors like eagles. - **Depends on:** lion (*Panthera leo*) — Vultures often follow lions, depending on their kills for food. ## Traits - [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring. - [Carnivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/carnivorous): This trait identifies organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of animal tissue. - [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night. - [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability. - [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. ## Collections - [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/birds) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Cape Vulture? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Cape Vulture? 96-115 cm ### What is Cape Vulture's wingspan? 226-260 cm ### How much does Cape Vulture weigh? 7-11 kg ### How long does Cape Vulture live? 20-35 years ### How fast can Cape Vulture move? 60 km/h ### What does Cape Vulture eat? These magnificent birds are nature's clean-up crew, eating only dead animals to keep ecosystems tidy! ### Where is Cape Vulture usually found? Cape Vultures live in open grasslands and savannas in southern Africa. ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Cape Vulture: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/cape-vulture)