White-headed Vulture
Wool -headed Vulture
The wool -headed Vulture ( Trigonoceps occipitalis ) is a bird of prey in the subfamily of the Old World vulture ( Aegypiinae ). The genus is monotypic Trigonoceps, that is, the wool -headed Vulture is the only species of the genus. This vulture has a strongly disjoint distribution area in Africa south of the Sahara. Due to the continuing decline in inventory, the IUCN classified the species as endangered ( "vulnerable ").
Description
Wool -headed Vulture are medium-sized Old World vulture with long wings and a slightly rounded tail. The body length is 72-82 cm, wingspan 207-223 cm and weight 3.3 to 5.3 kg. The feathered portion of the head, the neck, the lower abdomen, pants and under tail-coverts are white, since the coverts are missing and the white Dunengefieder exposed. In females also, the inner secondaries are white. The top and bottom are the rest blackish brown, the middle upper wing-coverts are light brown. The Kopfdunen form an indicated hood at the back. The specific epithet occipital suggests this specificity towards (Latin occiput = mind ). The featherless part of the head and front neck are pastel pink, when energized, these regions of intense red color. The iris is dark yellow. The cere and base of the lower mandible are strong pale colored cobalt blue, the rest of the bill is orange-red. The featherless parts of the legs and toes are pink, the powerful claws are black.
Distribution and habitat
The disjunct distribution area includes large parts of sub-Saharan Africa from Senegal in the west over the Sudan to Eritrea in the east. To the south it reaches the northern parts of South Africa to the Orange River.
The species inhabits mainly savannas, with thorn bushes with stock of open land and sparsely wooded grassland. When foraging and dense forested areas and completely treeless landscapes will be examined to semi-deserts. Wool -headed Vulture coming up in 4000 m altitude before.
Nutrition
The diet consists mainly of carrion of all kinds Moreover capture wool -headed Vulture nest young flamingos and probably also small mammals, birds and reptiles. Also stranded fish on shores and beaches, as well as grasshoppers, other large insects and their larvae, and termites are part of the food spectrum. Occasionally the animals parasitize other birds of prey and marabou storks. The type often meets the first to larger carrion one is there but not dominant and therefore must soon larger vultures to defer.
Reproduction
Wool -headed vulture breeding pairs. Courtship consists of common circuits on the breeding grounds and closely adjacent sitting in nest nearby. The nest is preferably applied on the crown of an acacia or other flachkronigen tree. It is built of twigs, lined with grass and hair and has a diameter of 80-170 cm and a height of 20-60 cm. It is laid only one egg that is incubated by both parents about 51 to 56 days. The young bird is fully fledged after 110 to 120 days. The breeding events is strongly influenced by the amount of rainfall in years with below average rainfall set up to 61% of breeding pairs of an area to breed from.
Inventory and risk
The portfolio development differs by region, total inventory has decreased significantly in recent decades. Strong inventory declines were recorded in West Africa since the early 1940s, southern Africa, the species is now largely confined to reserves. The IUCN estimates that the total stock 7000-12500 birds.
Main causes of decline are apparently food shortage due to the reduction of the stock of large and small mammals and habitat destruction as a result of changes of use. Other factors are threatening the existence of poisoning by poison bait and disturbances at the nest. Due to the continuing decline in inventory, the IUCN classified the species as endangered worldwide ( "vulnerable ").