The African White-backed Vulture, a crucial ecological player in the savannahs, now critically endangered.
The Sanitary Guardian of the African Plains
The African White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) stands out as one of the most recognizable scavengers across the continent. Gliding gracefully in wide circles above the savannahs, it plays a vital role in the ecosystem by cleaning up carcasses, which helps to curb the spread of disease. Once a common sight, this magnificent bird is now experiencing a significant decline, bringing it dangerously close to extinction. As a result, each sighting has become a precious and worrisome event.
Our Ornithologist's Tip
By the Les-Oiseaux.com team, published on August 7, 2025.
My personal advice: To identify the African White-backed Vulture in flight, don't focus on its overall color but on the striking contrast. In adults, the underwing coverts are very dark, almost black, and contrast sharply with the paler body and the rest of the wing. But the foolproof feature is the bright white band on the lower back, which gives it its name. It is particularly visible when the bird banks in flight. This is what clearly distinguishes it from the Rüppell's Vulture, which is more mottled and lacks this solid white patch.
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Identifying the African White-backed Vulture: Key Features
The African White-backed Vulture is a large raptor, about 80 to 95 cm long, with an impressive wingspan of 2 to 2.2 meters. Its plumage is a mix of browns and white, optimized for camouflage and thermoregulation.
Head and Neck: The head and long neck are covered with short, whitish down. This feature allows it to probe into carcasses without soiling its feathers, playing a hygienic role.
Body: The body plumage is mostly dark brown. The most distinctive feature is the ruff of white feathers at the base of the neck and, in adults, a bright white rump, which is very visible in flight.
Wings: Long and broad, they are perfectly adapted for soaring. The underwing is dark, contrasting with the paler body.
Beak and Legs: The beak is black, long, powerful, and sharply hooked, ideal for tearing meat, tendons, and skin. The legs are dark gray.
There is no notable sexual dimorphism. Juveniles are generally darker and more uniform than adults and only acquire the distinctive white back upon reaching maturity.
The Call: A Quiet Bird
The African White-backed Vulture is a generally silent bird, especially in flight. Vocalizations are mainly limited to nesting sites and, especially, to gatherings around a carcass. In these moments of intense competition, it emits a variety of hisses, grunts, and harsh squawks to defend its place at the feast.
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Behavior: The Indispensable Cleanup Crew
The African White-backed Vulture is a highly social and gregarious bird. It spends much of its day soaring at high altitudes, using thermal updrafts to cover vast territories in search of food with minimal energy expenditure. Its keen eyesight allows it to spot a carcass from miles away.
It is a strict scavenger, meaning it feeds only on dead animals. When a carcass is found, dozens, or even hundreds, of vultures can converge quickly. They play a fundamental sanitation role by disposing of carcasses, which limits the proliferation of bacteria and prevents the spread of dangerous diseases like rabies and anthrax.
African White-backed Vultures nest in loose colonies at the tops of tall trees, where they build large stick nests. They are monogamous, and the pair typically raises a single chick per season.
Habitat and Distribution
The African White-backed Vulture is endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. It thrives in open habitats such as savannas, arid plains, and semi-desert areas. It generally avoids dense forests and extreme deserts. Its presence is strongly linked to the availability of large mammals, both wild and domestic, whose carcasses are its sole food source. The presence of tall trees is also essential for nesting and roosting.
Distribution Map
Resident Range
Comparison with Other Well-Known Vultures
To better understand the African White-backed Vulture, it is helpful to compare it with other vulture species found in neighboring regions or on other continents. Here is a comparative table with two other iconic species.
Characteristic
African White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus)
Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
General Appearance
Brown plumage, white ruff, and contrasting white back. Head and neck covered in down.
Large, sandy-brown body, long and downy white ruff. Very dark wings.
Smaller, mostly white plumage in adults with black flight feathers. Bare yellow face and a slender beak.
Wingspan
About 2.0 to 2.2 meters.
Impressive, up to 2.8 meters.
More modest, about 1.5 to 1.7 meters.
Main Habitat
Savannas and plains of sub-Saharan Africa.
Mountainous areas with cliffs in Southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia.
Arid regions, steppes, and open areas of Africa (notably Egypt), Southern Europe, and Asia.
The status of the African White-backed Vulture is extremely concerning. It is classified as "Critically Endangered" (CR) on the IUCN Red List. Its populations have suffered a catastrophic decline, over 90% in some regions, in recent decades. The main threat by far is poisoning: either accidental, through the consumption of livestock treated with veterinary anti-inflammatory drugs toxic to vultures (like diclofenac), or intentional, when farmers poison carcasses to kill predators. Other threats include collision with power lines, habitat loss, and the decline of large wild mammal populations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the African White-backed Vulture
Why is the African White-backed Vulture critically endangered?
Its population has plummeted dramatically due to poisoning. The vultures die from consuming carcasses of animals treated with toxic veterinary drugs (like diclofenac) or carcasses deliberately poisoned to kill predators. Habitat loss is also a threat.
What is the ecological role of the African White-backed Vulture?
It is an essential 'cleaner' of the savannah. By feeding exclusively on carcasses, it prevents the spread of diseases such as rabies or anthrax, playing an irreplaceable and free sanitation role.
How do African vultures find carcasses?
They have exceptionally keen eyesight that allows them to spot carcasses from very high altitudes. They also observe the behavior of other scavengers and quickly converge in large numbers on a food source.
Does the African White-backed Vulture attack live animals?
No, the African White-backed Vulture is a strict scavenger. Its beak is powerful for tearing dead meat, but its feet are not designed to capture or kill prey. It relies entirely on animals that are already dead.
