[Photo No. B-936]

1. © Winston D. Munnings (Greeting Card Sample). Just the perfect vehicle for sending well wishes to that Special someone. Incidentally, this Greeting Card can also be framed.

The White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is closely related to the European Griffon Vulture, G. fulvus. Sometimes it is called African White-backed Vulture to distinguish it from the Oriental White-backed Vulture – nowadays usually called Indian White-rumped Vulture—to which it was formerly believed to be closely related.

The White-backed Vulture is a typical vulture, with only down feathers on the head and neck, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff. The adult’s whitish back contrasts with the otherwise dark plumage. Juveniles are largely dark. This is a medium-sized vulture; its body mass is 9.3–16 lb, it is 37 in long and has a 86 in wingspan.

Like other vultures it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of animals which it finds by soaring over savannah. It also takes scraps from human habitations. It often moves in flocks. It breeds in trees on the savannah of west and east Africa, laying one egg. The population is mostly resident.

As it is rarer than previously believed, its conservation status was reassessed from Least Concern to Near Threatened in the 2007 IUCN Red List.

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Camera
Nikon D300 (Two Bodies) ~ Nikon D200 (Back-Up)

Lens
AF Nikon 50mm (F/1.8)
AF Nikon 85mm (F/1.8)
AF Nikon 24-70mm (F/2.8)
AF Nikon 80-200mm (F/2.8)
AF Nikon 70-210mm (F4 – 5.6)
AF Nikon 105mm (F/2.8) Micro Lens
AF Nikon 200mm (F/2.8) Micro Lens
AF Nikon 300mm (F/4)