Difference between revisions of "Palm-nut Vulture" - BirdForum Opus

Latest revision as of 16:56, 22 February 2025

Photo © by Steve G
Baboon Island, Central River Division, The Gambia.

Gypohierax angolensis

Identification

Juvenile
Photo © by volker sthamer
Selous GR Tanzania, September 2019

57–65 cm (22½-25½ in); males slightly smaller than females.
Adult

overall black and white
body and primaries white
scapulars, secondaries, median and greater secondary wing coverts black. All primary coverts black
lesser secondary coverts white
tail black with white terminal band
iris and cere yellow
face pinkish to orange-red (depending on bird's state of arousal)
feet dull pinkish
bill pale ivory

Immature

dirty brown
facial skin duller, more subdued

It takes 3-4 years to acquire adult plumage. Adults sometimes are stained buffy-brownish, but differ in having primaries with very short black tips, more extensive black in subadult and younger birds.

(Descriptions based on photos here and at ref. [5].)

Distribution

Photo © by Steve G
Mandina Bolong, Mandina lodges, Makasutu, The Gambia.

Sub-Saharan Africa:
Western Africa: found in Senegambia, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Mali, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola
Eastern Africa: Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi
Southern Africa: South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal
African Islands: Gulf of Guinea Islands: Bioko (Fernando Po)

Taxonomy

Subspecies

Clements regards this as a monotypic species [1].

Habitat

Tropical rainforest, mangrove swamps, heavily-wooded savanna areas and palm plantations.

Behaviour

Diet

Their diet consists mostly of the fruit of Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis; also dead fish, dates, crab, snails and molluscs.

Breeding

They build their stick nest high up in large trees. The nest can be 1 metre wide and .5 metre deep. The clutch contains a single egg, which is heavily marked with dark brown and chocolate, with lilac and pale brown undermarkings. Incubation takes about 44 days. The fledging period is long, frequently more than 90 days, giving a total breeding cycle time of about five months.

References

Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
Avibase
Birdforum thread discussing aging of this species
Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved December 2018)
Macauley Library at https://www.macaulaylibrary.org

List of references

Recommended Citation

BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Palm-nut Vulture. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 2 May 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Palm-nut_Vulture

External Links

Search for photos of Palm-nut Vulture in the gallery

GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Image:Palm-nut_Vulturesg.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|Steve+G|Steve G}} <br />Baboon Island, Central River Division, [[The Gambia]]. ]]
 ;[[:Category:Gypohierax|Gypohierax]] angolensis
-[[Image:Palm-nut_Vulture.jpg|thumb|550px|right|Photo by {{user|Steve+G|Steve G}} <br/>Location: Mandina Bolong, Mandina lodges, Makasutu, [[The Gambia]]. ]]
+==Identification==
+[[Image:STH 2639.JPG|thumb|350px|right|Juvenile<br />Photo &copy; by {{user|volker+sthamer|volker sthamer}}<br />Selous GR [[Tanzania]], September 2019]]
+–65 cm (22½-25½ in); males slightly smaller than females.<br />
+Adult
+* overall black and white
+* body and primaries white
+* [[Topography#General Anatomy|scapulars]], [[Topography#Wings|secondaries]], median and greater secondary wing [[Topography#General Anatomy|coverts]] black. All primary coverts black
+* lesser secondary coverts white
+* tail black with white terminal band
+* iris and [[Topography#Heads|cere]] yellow
+* face pinkish to orange-red (depending on bird's state of arousal)
+* feet dull pinkish
+* bill pale ivory
+'''Immature'''
+* dirty brown
+* facial skin duller, more subdued
+It takes 3-4 years to acquire adult plumage.  Adults sometimes are stained buffy-brownish, but differ in having primaries with very short black tips, more extensive black in subadult and younger birds.
-==Identification==
+(Descriptions based on photos here and at ref. [[#References|[5]]].)
-Adult is mainly white, black scapulars, secondaries and wing coverts.  Black tail, white terminal band.  Yellow iris, grey cere, face and feet orange-red.  Immaturees are brown, pale yellow rump.  It takes 3-4 years to acquire adult plumage.  Adults sometimes are stained buffy-brownish, but differ in having primaries with very short black tips, more extensive black in subadult and younger birds. <br />
-Males slightly smaller than females.
 ==Distribution==
-Sub-Saharan [[Africa]].
+[[Image:Palm-nut_Vulture.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Photo &copy; by {{user|Steve+G|Steve G}} <br/>Mandina Bolong, Mandina lodges, Makasutu, [[The Gambia]]. ]]
+Sub-Saharan [[Africa]]:<br />
+'''Western Africa''': found in [[Senegambia]], [[Senegal]], [[The Gambia]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Guinea]], [[Mali]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Liberia]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Ghana]], [[Togo]], [[Benin]], [[Nigeria]], [[Chad]], [[Cameroon]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Gabon]], [[Democratic Republic of Congo]], [[Angola]]<br />
+'''Eastern Africa''': [[Sudan]], [[South Sudan]], [[Kenya]], [[Uganda]], [[Burundi]], [[Tanzania]], [[Zambia]], [[Mozambique]], [[Malawi]]<br />
+'''Southern Africa''': [[South Africa]], [[KwaZulu-Natal]]<br />
+'''African Islands''': Gulf of Guinea Islands: [[Bioko]] (Fernando Po)
 ==Taxonomy==
-This is a [[Dictionary_M-S#M|monotypic]] species<sup>[[#References|[1]]]</sup>.
+====Subspecies====
+Clements regards this as a [[Dictionary_M-O#M|monotypic]] species [[#References|[1]]].
 ==Habitat==
 Tropical rainforest, mangrove swamps, heavily-wooded savanna areas and palm plantations.
 ==Behaviour==
-Its diet includes mainly the fruit of Oil Palm; also dead fish, dates, crab, snails and molluscs.
+====Diet====
+Their diet consists mostly of the fruit of Oil Palm ''Elaeis guineensis''; also dead fish, dates, crab, snails and molluscs.
-They build nests high up in large trees, made of sticks.  The nest can be 1 metre wide and .5 metre deep.  I egg is laid, which is heavily marked with dark brown and chocolate, with lilac and pale brown undermarkings.
+====Breeding====
-Incubation takes about 44 days). The fledging period is long, frequently more than 90 days, giving a total breeding cycle time of about five months.
+They build their stick nest high up in large trees.  The nest can be 1 metre wide and .5 metre deep.  The clutch contains a single egg, which is heavily marked with dark brown and chocolate, with lilac and pale brown undermarkings.
+Incubation takes about 44 days. The fledging period is long, frequently more than 90 days, giving a total breeding cycle time of about five months.
 ==References==
-#{{Ref-Clements6thDec09}}#[http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1984177 Birdforum thread] discussing aging of this species
+#{{Ref-Clements6thAug18}}#Avibase
+#[http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=1984177 Birdforum thread] discussing aging of this species
+#Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved December 2018)
+#{{Ref-Macauley}}
+{{ref}}
 ==External Links==
-{{GSearch|Gypohierax+angolensis}}
+{{GSearch|"Gypohierax angolensis" {{!}} "Palm-nut Vulture" {{!}} "Vulturine Fish Eagle" }}
+{{GS-checked}}1
 [[Category:Birds]] [[Category:Gypohierax]]