The Griffon Vulture (Gips fulvus)

The species:

Gyps is a Greek word for 'vulture'; the Latin word fulvus means 'yellow-brown'

Features:

Length = 95 - 105 cm; of which 30 - 40 cm is tail

Wingspan = 240 - 280 cm; the female is not bigger than the male

Weight = about 7.5 kg; ranging between 6 and 11 kg

The flight pattern of the Griffon Vulture is characterized by long and very broad wings with rounded trailing edges, distinct fingers on the primary feathers, and a short tail. On the upper and under wings, there is a strong contrast between the black flight feathers and the lighter coverts. Up close, the head covered with white downy feathers, the long neck, and the white neck ruff stand out.

In young birds, the neck ruff consists of light rusty-brown feathers. Griffon Vultures acquire their adult plumage at the age of 5-6 years.

Distribution:

Egyptian vultures are mainly found in the dry areas of the Palearctic region, from North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula eastwards through the Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East, all the way to Iran, Pakistan, and northern India. Thanks to very successful conservation measures, the population has increased significantly again. In the French Massif-Central, the bird has been successfully reintroduced, with more than 100 breeding pairs counted. There are also more than 30 breeding pairs living in the French Alps nowadays, and over 250 in the French Pyrenees. Efforts are also being made to reintroduce the Egyptian vulture in the Italian Alps and the Abruzzo region.

Hunting and food:

Vultures travel long distances in search of food, which consists only of dead animals, mainly medium and large mammals, even when they're already decaying. Once a vulture has spotted a carcass and flown over, other vultures quickly arrive too, because they’ve also seen their companions descending and landing from afar. Only the innards and muscle meat of the carcass are eaten, not the skin, tendons, or bones.

Once, about 70 vultures turned a dead bull into a skeleton in 3.5 hours

Threats and protection:

The main causes of decline are shooting and poisoning. For example, over a period of 4 years in Croatia, more than 60 Griffon Vultures were poisoned.

Especially the laying out of poisoned bait needs to be curbed. Furthermore, for the recovery of the populations, all those measures are necessary that ensure vultures can find enough food over large areas and that secret persecution finally stops. Also, planting new forests in the vultures’ habitat should be avoided.

The Gaia Nature Fund supports the Vulture Conservation Foundation to preserve the Griffon Vulture in Europe.

The photographer is watching:

Although the griffon vulture often glides, the wingtips and feathers are constantly moving.

As a guideline for shutter speed:

1/1000s - 1/1600s = Flight shots

1/2000s + = Fast action, landing, or wing flapping

1/500s - 1/800s = Calm gliding, if you want to intentionally keep some motion.

Autofocus AF-C + subject detection for birds. You can also use tracking here, but in principle, it’s not necessary.

Try NOT to always zoom in all the way. With a huge bird like the Griffon vulture, the instinct is often to use as many millimeters as possible, but sometimes less reach is actually nicer. A full bird with space around the wings gives a much stronger impression of its enormous wingspan.

Anticipate the flight. Don’t just look at the bird, but also watch the landscape and the thermals. Griffon vultures often use thermals to gain altitude and can therefore use certain areas and routes repeatedly.

Pay attention to the head and eyes. The head is relatively small compared to the body. Try to get the eye in focus if you’re doing a portrait shot. A slight catchlight in the eye makes a huge difference.