CapeOrder: Falconiformes. Cape Griffon (Photograph Courtesy of Dale Schultz Copyright ©2000)Family: Accipitridae. (Old World vulture). Scientific Name: Gyps coprotheres. (Tanslation: "faeces eating vulture"). Common Names: Cape Griffon, Kolbe's Griffon, or Cape Vulture. Conservation Status: Threatened. Cape Griffon numbers have been declining markedly since the beginning of this century, with the present population estimated at around 10,000 birds. Farmers dislike these birds as they will attack snowbound or ill sheep; consequently Cape Griffons are often shot on sight. Yet this is not the primary reason for the reduction in numbers and the decreasing population is as a result of other complicated factors. Numbers of herd game have reduced significantly, though this in itself has not been the cause of a diminishing food source as there are plenty of animals dying of natural causes. The problem seems to be that large predators, particularly the lion and the hyena, have come under threat of extinction and they are now almost entirely confined to game reserves and undeveloped areas in the north. For instance, did you know: The percentage
of Africa that is wilderness: 28% These larger predators used to break and grind up bones into chips suitable for feeding to Cape Griffon chicks. Without the calcium from this bone the young suffer from severe rickets and the result is brittle bones which break during the preparation for their flight. Birds with broken wings inevitably die. Chicks have to contend with high-tension wires, malnutrition and drowning, amongst other issues. It is estimated that about 3,500 breeding pairs remain out of a total of 10,000 birds. Numbers of young are unknown. Rescue & Recovery: As a result of the above discovery, these vultures have their own 'restaurant' at De Wildt, near Pretoria, where old mules and especially fragmented bones are laid out so as provide food for this aerial scavenger and its young. This appears to be having positive results. Geographical Range: Restricted to southern Africa. Comes into contact with other species only in the extreme north of its range. Habitat: Open mountainous country and plains areas. Cape Griffon (Photograph Courtesy of Dale Schultz Copyright ©2000)Physical Characteristics: The Cape Griffon is easily confused with the Asian White-backed Vulture as both are very similar and their territory overlaps somewhat, but of the two species, the Cape Griffon is the slightly larger. Adults are beige in appearance, with tail and primary flight feathers being black. Yellow-brown eyes are set into a rather woolly head which is covered with sparse white down. At the base of the neck is a grey-coloured collar of feathers. There is no noticeable difference between male and female birds. Immature birds are dark brown with a streaky appearance. They have pink necks and dark eyes. Food: Previously depended upon migratory herds as its main source of food, but now feeds primarily upon the carcasses of domestic stock. The initial decline of this species coincided with the 1898-1903 rinderpest epidemic in which millions of cattle were lost. Quite a lot of vegetable matter such as grass can be found in their pellets, however it is thought that this is ingested along with the stomach contents of the animals they feed off. Reproduction: Roosts and nests on cliff faces; this also gives the Cape Vulture a good point from which to launch their large heavy bodies into flight. Nesting colonies of these birds have been observed for over forty years and during this time over 5,000 chicks have been ringed. A decline in mating pairs and increasing chick deaths was therefore obvious to ornithologists who observed lower numbers of brooding birds. In March and April the birds pair up and either re-occupy old sites or build a new nest from grass, plants and sticks. The incubation period is about 56 days and duties are shared by the parents. By July most of the birds are caring for recently hatched chicks and waiting patiently for their partners to return from foraging. It will be four months before the chicks venture out of the nest to take their first flight. Even after this they will frequently return to the nest for feeding. Other: Despite their somewhat off-putting habits, vultures in general are surprisingly fastidious creatures which bathe daily by immersing themselves completely in pools of water. They then clamber out onto the gently sloping banks and rest in the sun to dry. This cleanliness can prove fatal during times of drought, when the birds turn to farm reservoirs as an alternative. Weighed down by water they are then unable to get out and subsequently drown.
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