5 Interesting Facts About Lappet-Faced Vultures

Here is a lappet-faced vulture scaring other vultures away from a dead animal

Today I want to write about a wonderful species of bird, the lappet-faced vulture.

Here are five interesting facts about them:

1. These huge vultures grow to over a metre tall and have a wingspan of almost 3 metres, making them the largest vulture in Africa.
2. They get their name from the folds of skin on the side of their neck that are called lappets.
3. Lappet-faced vultures are so big that they dominate other species of vultures at carcasses and can even chase away jackals.  They are able to eat tough skin and tendons that other vultures can’t eat.  They are also good hunters, catching small mammals and flamingos.
4. They build huge nest over 2 metres wide high up in trees.  They lay 1-2 eggs and both the male and female help to raise the chicks.  The young are dependent on the parents for almost the first year.
5. Lappet-faced vultures are found throughout most of Africa and the Middle East.  Their numbers are dropping and they are considered vulnerable due to poisoning, hunting and nest disturbance.

I hope that you found these facts interesting and learned something new.

Are there any other interesting facts that you would like to share about lappet-faced vultures?