Griffon Vulture

Gyps fulvus

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

Its stomach produces an extraordinarily corrosive acid, able to digest carrion in advanced decay and even to neutralise botulinum toxin and anthrax spores.

Weight

6 kg – 11.3 kg

Size

93 cm – 1.2 m

Lifespan

25 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Colony

Lives in large concentrations, often for breeding reasons.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

30,946 pairs in Spain according to the fifth national survey of 2018, more than 90% of the European total; the population went from 2,283-3,240 pairs in 1979 to 7,529-8,074 in 1989. Aragon (4,832 pairs) and Castile and León (7,489) hold most of them

MountainCarnivore Diurnal Colonial Bird Mountain

48countries 28parks43same family

Fun facts

It feeds exclusively on carrion, spotted with keen eyesight from a great height.
It can spot a carcass from over 5 kilometres away.
It lives in mountainous, rocky country with cliffs across southern Europe, North Africa and Central Asia.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - pneumatised bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat & environment: Mountainous, rocky country with cliffs across southern Europe, North Africa and Central Asia
Birth weight: ~170 grams at hatching, naked and weak
Size at birth: Naked and weak at hatching, with only a sparse covering of down
Sexual maturity: 4-5 years
Gestation / incubation: 52-60 days
Litter / clutch size: 1 egg per clutch
Lifespan in captivity: Documented record of 41.4 years in captivity

Sources consulted: AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); A-Z Animals; Birdfact; The Animal Facts; White Marmotte; Wikipedia (Eurasian griffon vulture); Animalia.bio; Taylor & Francis (age identification study); SEO/BirdLife, V censo nacional (2018): 5.407 parejas más que en 2008, un crecimiento del 17,5-26 % en una década, aunque cada vez menos pronunciado || Del Moral y Molina (Eds.) 2018, El buitre leonado en España, SEO/BirdLife || SEO/BirdLife, III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España, ficha del buitre leonado

Where to find it

See its range on the interactive map

Best time: All year round: it is essentially a resident species, and in winter its movements to feeding grounds allow it to be seen almost anywhere in Spain. The cliff colonies are easiest to watch during the breeding season, between January and July