White-backed Vulture

About the White-backed Vulture

Also known as: African White-backed Vulture, White-backed Griffon

The White-backed Vulture is an Old World species that lives in parts of Africa. It is sometimes known as the African White-backed Vulture.

White-backed Vultures have an overall dark body plumage, with contrasting white back feathers. They also have a white neck ruff and streaky breasts.

The conservation status of the White-backed Vulture is Endangered. The population faces a variety of threats, including (secondary) poisoning, persecution, hunting, and loss of habitat.

Details & Statistics

Added to Birdorable

Hatched 25 August 2012

Scientific Name

Gyps africanus

Order:

Accipitriformes

Family:

Accipitridae

Genus:

Gyps

Species:

G. africanus

Bird Family

Vultures & Condors

Conservation Status

Critically Endangered (as of 20 March 2020)

Least Concern (LC)
Near Threatened (NT)
Vulnerable (VU)
Endangered (EN)
Critically Endangered (CR)
Extinct in the Wild (EW)
Extinct (EX)

Source: IUCN Red List

Measurements

Length:

2.6 to 3.2 feet

(78.7 to 99.1 cm)

Wingspan:

6 to 7 feet

(1.8 to 2.1 meters)

Weight:

9.3 to 16 pounds

(4.2 to 7.3 kilos)

Range

West Africa Central Africa East Africa South Africa

Conservation

The White-backed Vulture is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and was last assessed in 2015 by BirdLife International. This species has declined severely in parts of its range and overall it is suspected to have undergone a very rapid decline owing to habitat loss and conversion to agro-pastoral systems, declines in wild ungulate populations, hunting for trade, persecution, collisions and poisoning. These declines are likely to continue into the future. Recently published data suggests these declines are even more serious than previously thought. For this reason it has been uplisted to Critically Endangered.