Griffon Vulture
It feeds exclusively on dead animals of large size, either freshly dead or already decaying.
1 m long, 6.2-10.5 kg in weight (males), 6.5-11.3 kg (females), 2.30-2.80 m wingspan.
Approximately 25 years.
Least concern (IUCN, 2021)
The Griffon vulture is an Old World vulture. It is a scavenger bird that usually flies at altitudes of up to 3,000 meters, but will easily ascend up to 10,000 meters during migration.
External features
It has a very large body, and its plumage has two very distinctive color tones, one being light brown and the other being dark brown to black. Its hooked beak is as long as its head, and its talons are short and dull, unlike other birds of prey.
Habitat
In Greece it lives mainly in semi-mountainous and mountainous areas, gorges and other similar ecosystems with protruding rocks, where it nests and lays a single egg per year.
Population in Greece
10-12 pairs in Thrace, 10-15 pairs in Aitoloakarnania, 9-10 pairs in the Cyclades and 250-340 pairs in Crete.
Fun Fact!
During feeding, vultures demonstrate a hierarchical feeding behavior. The Cinereous vulture eats first, followed by the Griffon vulture, while the Egyptian vulture comes last.