The Hooded Vulture lives across sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the smallest species of Old World vulture, with a length reaching between just 25 and 28 inches.
Hooded Vultures are scavengers, dining mainly on carrion. They soar above open habitat and around human activity to search for food. Because of their petite size, they can soar on weaker thermals than other vultures, which means they get an earlier start in the morning and are often the first to find fresh feeding sites. Hooded Vultures also take live prey like lizards and insects to supplement their diet.
The Hooded Vulture is considered Endangered. Threats they face include habitat loss, hunting, and (secondary) poisoning.
From IUCN Red List: The Hooded Vulture is listed as Critically Endangered
on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2015 by BirdLife International. This vulture has been uplisted to Critically Endangered. Recently published evidence suggests the population is experiencing an extremely rapid decline owing to indiscriminate poisoning, trade for traditional medicine, hunting, persecution and electrocution, as well as habitat loss and degradation.
Celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day in style with this word search puzzle with 18 hidden vulture-related terms, such as "scavengers", "regurgitate" and "roadkill". The remaining letters will form a sentence!
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Hooded Vultures live across sub-Saharan Africa. They are one of the smallest species of vulture. Hooded Vultures are named for the scruff of white feathers which form a collar around their necks. ... more
