Griffon vulture

Overview

After a century of absence (since the beginning of the 20th century), the griffon vulture has returned to Provence (following multiple successful reintroductions in the 1990s).

It is the most common species of vulture in France.

In Provence, it is a sedentary bird of prey (it does not migrate).

It is gregarious.

Its flight

It is not uncommon to see griffon vultures spiralling high in the sky.

It glides to move around, using air currents to travel and thus optimise its energy management.

The griffon vulture is able to accurately detect the formation of thermals.

Landing is a little perilous for this large bird.

Physical characteristics

• Wingspan: between 2.40 and 2.70 m
• Height:
• Weight: 8 kg (average)

Plumage

• Juveniles:
  • reddish/brown plumage
  • brown ruff
• Adults:
  • light brown to fawn brown plumage
  • white ruff
• In old vultures: beige/grey
• Its flight feathers and tail feathers are dark brown (at all ages).

Silhouette

• Short, fan-shaped tail,
• Long neck covered with very fine white down
• Collar at the base of the neck
• Thick, hooked beak

Habitat

Cliffs: The griffon vulture nests on ledges. It chooses locations that are sheltered from wind and rain.

Its nest (or eyrie) is a pile of mainly twigs and feathers, built on a cliff ledge. The same nest is often used year after year.

It may be rudimentary at first, but is improved over the years.

Note: The common raven shares the same territory. It sometimes steals branches from griffon vulture nests to build its own. It is also capable of feeding on the single egg laid by the griffon vulture pair if it is left unattended.

Diet

The griffon vulture is a scavenger: it feeds on the carcasses of dead animals.

This is why its beak is thick and hooked, designed for tearing apart the carrion it feeds on.

In the past, vultures used to follow flocks (of sheep, goats, etc.).

Reproduction

• Total breeding period: from courtship to complete independence of the young, approximately 9 to 10 months.
• The griffon vulture begins to breed as soon as it reaches a certain age, like many species: between 3 and 5 years old.
• The pair courts in tandem: one flies above the other. These courtship rituals serve to strengthen the bond between the pair.
• Griffon vultures are ‘faithful’: they mate with the same partner for 50 years.
• Egg laying: 1 egg per year.
• This single egg is laid in the eyrie (= raptor’s nest).
• The male and female take turns incubating the egg for a month and a half (50 to 58 days): the egg is never left unattended. Northern ravens may prey on it, but it is also a question of heat: the parents regularly turn the egg so that the heat is evenly distributed, as this heat is necessary for the development of the young vulture’s embryo.
• Once the egg has hatched, they take turns feeding the young: they regurgitate the food they have carried in their crops directly into its mouth.
• Generally, 3 to 4 months after hatching, the young leave the nest but remain in their parents’ territory.
• Even as they gradually become independent, their parents continue to feed them, but they also gradually reduce their involvement.
• The young griffon vulture reaches complete independence at 6 months of age.

Below is a calendar showing griffon vultures’s main stages of reproduction.

• Domain: biota
• Kingdom: animalia
• Phylum: chordata
• Class: aves
• Order: accipitriformes
• Family: accipitridae
• Genus: Gyps
• Species: Gyps fulvus