Kingdom Animalia Scientific name Necrosyrtes monachus Phylum Chordata Order Accipitriformes | Family Accipitridae Rank Species Higher classification Necrosyrtes | |
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Genus Necrosyrtes
Gloger, 1841 Similar White‑headed vulture, Lappet‑faced vulture, White‑backed vulture, Palm‑nut vulture, Rüppell's vulture | ||
Hard times for roughnecks the critically endangered hooded vulture
The hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) is an Old World vulture in the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus Necrosyrtes and is native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is a scruffy-looking, small vulture with dark brown plumage, a long thin bill, bare crown, face and fore-neck, and a downy nape and hind-neck. It typically scavenges on carcasses. Although this is a common species, numbers of these birds are decreasing rapidly. Threats include poisoning, hunting and loss of habitat, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as "critically endangered".
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Hooded vultures
Description
The hooded vulture is a typical vulture, with a bald head that is usually white, but flushes red when agitated and a greyish “hood”. It has fairly uniform dark brown body plumage. It has broad wings for soaring and short tail feathers. It is a small species compared to most vultures. Female Vultures of the hooded variety are also often seen to have longer eyelashes than the males which is rather amusing. They have strong feet and are monogamous creatures
Ecology
It breeds in a stick nest in trees (often palms) in much of Africa south of the Sahara, laying one egg. Birds may form loose colonies. The population is mostly resident. This is one of the smaller vultures of the Old World. They are 62–72 cm (24–28 in) long, have a wingspan of 155–165 cm (61–65 in) and a body weight of 1.5–2.6 kg (3.3–5.7 lb).
Like other vultures it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals and waste which it finds by soaring over savannah and around human habitation, including waste tips and abattoirs. It often moves in flocks, and is very abundant. In much of its range, there are always several visible soaring in the sky at almost any time during the day.
This vulture is typically unafraid of humans, and frequently gathers around habitation. It is sometimes referred to as the “garbage collector” by locals.
Status
The species has been uplisted from its previous IUCN status of endangered to critically endangered, since the species is going through a very steep decline in population, owing to various factors including poisoning, hunting, habitat loss and degradation of habitat.