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6

Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) Alternate name(s): "Cinereous Vulture", "Black Vulture", "Monk Vulture" German name(s): "Kuttengeier", "Mönchsgeier" Size: 1.0-1.2 m; wing span 2.5-3.1 m Weight: 6.3-11.5 kg (male); 7.5-14 kg (female)

Europe: Family Group 6 Family Group 6 Table Lammergeier Eurasian Black Vulture Griffon Vulture Rueppell's Vulture Egyptian Vulture Osprey White-tailed Eagle Golden Eagle Spanish Imperial Eagle Short-toed Snake Eagle Bonelli's Eagle Booted Eagle Red Kite Black Kite European Honey Buzzard Common Buzzard Rough-legged Buzzard Long-legged Buzzard Western Marsh Harrier Hen Harrier Montagu's Harrier Pallid Harrier Black-winged Kite Eurasian Sparrowhawk Gyrfalcon Peregrine Falcon Common Kestrel Merlin Eurasian Hobby Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Eurasian Black Vultures are amongst the largest existing vultures. They are completely near-black dark brownish-grey, with underwing coverts that are darker yet than the rest of the plumage. Only the crown and the base of the hooked bill are pale in adults; in juveniles these are also dark. The flesh-coloured feet are clearly visible in flight; they do not protrude beyond the tip of the broad tail. As in other vultures, the wings are broad with long primary "fingers".

Taxonomy, classification See Eurasian Black Vulture at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Eurasian Black Vulture is available HERE . Eurasian Black Vultures occur at mostly subtropical latitudes across a wide range across Eurasia, from Iberia in the West via the Mediterranean, parts of Asia Minor and the Middle East, to central Asia and the Korean peninsula in the East. Across that range they are mostly sedentary; only around the Himalayas there are migratory populations that spend the winters at lower altitude than the breeding seasons. Across much of their range, in southern and south-eastern Europe, Asia Minor and central Asia (eastern China) their distribution is uncertain. In Europe, apart from a few sites in the Alps and the Balkans, Eurasian Black Vultures are primarily found in large parts of Iberia, on Mallorca, in parts of southern France and in eastern Greece/southern Bulgaria. Eurasian Black Vultures have a preference for hilly or mountainous terrain, including relatively flat highlands such as central Spain, where they search for carrion mostly in relatively open terrain, such as grassland, steppe or sparsely vegetated mountain/hill slopes, often in semi-arid to arid landscapes.

Sightings Click here for sighting information J. Pires reports spotting Eurasian Black Vultures occasionally near Mora, Evora, Portugal - in 2014 and 2018, and again in the timeframe May/June 2020. The species was also found at the Montargil Dam, near Mora, Evora, Portugal and at Arraiolos, Portugal. More Eurasian Black Vultures were found at Embalse de Los Canchales, near Montijo, Spain, in December 2019. All sighting and photographic information presented on this page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Close-up frontal/ventral view of a Eurasian Black Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Embalse de Los Canchales, near Montijo, Spain, December 2019]

Frontal/ventral view of a Eurasian Black Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, 2018]

Near-frontal/ventral view of a Eurasian Black Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2022]

Near-lateral/ventral view of a Eurasian Black Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, 2018]

Lateral/ventral view of a Eurasian Black Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, 2014]

Lateral/ventral view of a Eurasian Black Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Eurasian Black Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Embalse de Los Canchales, near Montijo, Spain, December 2019]

Dorsal view of a Eurasian Black Vulture trying to gain height (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, June 2020]

Food, Diet

Carcass of a sheep left behind by a mob of Griffon Vultures and Eurasian Black Vultures (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Near Mora, Evora, Portugal, August 2013]

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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