| Cape vulture | |
|---|---|
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| De Hoop Nature Reserve inOverberg | |
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| A flying cape vulture at theRhino and Lion Nature Reserve inCradle of Humankind,Gauteng,South Africa | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Accipitriformes |
| Family: | Accipitridae |
| Genus: | Gyps |
| Species: | G. coprotheres |
| Binomial name | |
| Gyps coprotheres | |
_IUCN_range_2021.svg) | |
| IUCN range (2021) Extant Extant (non-breeding) Possibly extinct Extinct | |
| Synonyms | |
Gyps kolbii | |
TheCape vulture (Gyps coprotheres), also known asCape griffon andKolbe's vulture, is anOld World vulture in the familyAccipitridae. It is endemic tosouthern Africa, and lives mainly inSouth Africa,Lesotho,Botswana, and in some parts of northernNamibia. It nests on cliffs and lays one egg per year. In 2015, it had been classified asEndangered on theIUCN Red List, but was down-listed toVulnerable in 2021 as some populations increased and have been stable since about 2016.[1]
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This large vulture is of a creamy-buff colour, with contrasting dark flight and tail feathers. The adult is paler than the juvenile, and its underwing coverts can appear almost white at a distance. The head and neck are near-naked. The eyes are yellowish, and the bill is black. Juveniles and immatures are generally darker and more streaked, with brown to orange eyes and red necks.[1] It closely resembles the white-backed vulture, however it is larger and has yellow irises.[3]
The average length of adult vultures is about 96–115 cm (38–45 in) with a wingspan of 2.26–2.6 m (7 ft 5 in – 8 ft 6 in) and a body weight of 7–11 kg (15–24 lb). The two prominent bare skin patches at the base of the neck, also found in thewhite-backed vulture, are thought to be temperature sensors and used for detecting the presence ofthermals. The species is among the largestraptors inAfrica, next to thelappet-faced vulture. With a mean body mass of roughly 8.9 to 9.22 kg (19.6 to 20.3 lb), it appears to be significantly heavier than wild lappet-faced vultures, despite the latter's extremely large appearance, and rivals only a few other species, namely thegreat white pelican andkori bustard, as the largest flying bird native to Africa.[4][5][6] After theHimalayan griffon vulture and thecinereous vulture, the Cape vulture is the third largestOld World vulture on average.[7][8]
The Cape vulture is resident and breeding in Botswana, Lesotho,Mozambique andSouth Africa, but isvagrant in theDemocratic Republic of the Congo andZambia. It also occurs inAngola,Namibia,Zimbabwe andEswatini but does not breed there.[1] They are obligate scavengers, they feed oncarrion, eating soft muscles and organ tissues and some bone fragments. They search for food in groups, they can spot the carcasses from a long distance meaning that they have good eyesight. They are able to locate the carcass quicker than other ground-dwelling scavengers.[9]
It usually breeds and roosts oncliff faces in or near mountains,[10] and has been recorded up to an elevation of 3,100 m (10,200 ft).[1] In South Africa'sEastern Cape, Cape vultures were more likely to use nest sites on ledges with a smaller depth and at a higher elevation, surrounded by conspecifics.[11] Tracked individuals in Namibia hadhome ranges of 11,800–22,500 km2 (4,600–8,700 sq mi).[12] They also roost on trees and pylons. Additionally, juveniles and adults both prefer to roost on cliffs located closer to colonies.[13] It is also believed that they tend to remain or return to the area of birth for breeding.[14]
In Colleywobbles Vulture Colony in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, the fledglings had a mean post-fledging dependency period of 101 days, and the distance from the nest increased after this period, as the fledglings gained independence from their parents.[15] Though they continue to breed, some populations have been recorded to have declined. Roberts’ Farm in Magaliesberg, was abandoned as a breeding site in 2013.[16]
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The Cape vulture has been declining steadily since at least the 1980s, when it was first categorised asThreatened. Between 1992 and 2007 the species declined by 60-70% in South Africa alone.[1] By 2021, the total population size was estimated about 9,600 to 12,800 mature individuals, and it was assessed asVulnerable.[1]
The Cape vulture is considered to be impacted by a number of threats. A decrease in the amount of large carrion particularly during nesting, targeted or inadvertent poisoning, loss of foraging habitat, and unsustainable harvesting for traditional uses are thought to be the most important factors. A source of poisoning specific to many vultures, including the Cape vulture, is the drugDiclofenac and related compounds, which is used to treat arthritis in cattle, and which lead to kidney failure in vultures who consume carcasses of treated cattle.[1] Electrocution resulting from collision with cables on electricity pylons is the most common cause of death in ringed birds.[12]
On the 20th of June 2019, the carcasses of 468white-backed vultures, 17white-headed vultures, 28hooded vultures, 14lappet-faced vultures and 10 cape vultures, altogether 537 vultures, besides 2tawny eagles, were found in northern Botswana. It is suspected that they died after eating the carcasses of 3elephants that were poisoned bypoachers, possibly to avoid detection by the birds, which help rangers to track poaching activity by circling above where there are dead animals.[17][18][19][20]
Climate change has contributed as a threat for the endemic species, populations have decreased due to the high temperatures and global warming.[21] There is still need to alter laws to achieve great conservation, as most laws in South Africa are implemented at a provincial scale. All vulture species can be elevated to 'Specially Protected' status to help increase their populations.[22]
There is still a need to deal with human-wildlife conflicts, farmers still need to be made aware of the effects of poisoning. In Namibia, 1.7% of communal farmers admitted to using poison in the year 2015.[23] In Kenya, over 20% of farmers used poisons to eliminate predators and they were not aware of the Kenya Wildlife Act. It was then suggested that awareness campaigns should be implemented to reduce poisoning. In addition, a combination of top-down, e.g. legislation, and bottom-up such as corrals or compensation is expected to help reduce the problem.[24]
