The Lappet-faced Vulture is the no-nonsense foreman of Africa’s vulturine clean-up crew.
And what a well-staffed squad it is. Of the Old World’s 16 species of vultures, nine breed in sub-Saharan Africa. These fall into two distinct taxonomic groups. The first, comprising the Lappet-faced, White-headed, Hooded and three species of Gyps vultures, clusters close to the snake eagles. The second, encompassing the Palm-nut, Bearded and Egyptian vultures, is rooted in the very earliest origins of the birds of prey, alongside lineages such as those of the cuckoo hawks and honey buzzards.
The closest Afrotropical relative of the Lappet-faced Vulture is the more petite White-headed Vulture. The two share broadly overlapping distributions in the woodlands of the continent, although the White-headed avoids the most arid areas favoured by the Lappet-faced and extends further into more mesic and well-wooded habitats.
This story is from the March - April 2017 edition of African Birdlife.
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This story is from the March - April 2017 edition of African Birdlife.
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