Hooded Vulture

Necrosyrtes monachus

Other Names

    Vautour charognard   Kappengeier   Alimoche Sombrío   Kappgam   Kapgier   Cappovaccaio pileato

World: Africa: widely distributed S of 17°N although absent from the equatorial lowland forests of the W, arid regions of E Somalia and the SW of the continent and also from the very southernmost tip.

Kenya: The most widespread and common vulture of East Africa, occurring in a wide variety of habitats from desert to woodland and forest edges up to 3000m.

Looking a bit like a small Lappet-faced Vulture these are highly successful as a species, in part because they are omnivorous and will scavenge from human settlements. Kenyan birds differ in habit from Ugandan birds which are urban scavengers (Kenyan birds prefer small settlements and tend to keep away from towns except in the Kakamega region). They have a finer bill than other Kenyan vultures and this allows them to pick meat from between bones and also to extract insects from dung and soil. At a carcass they can't compete with the larger scavengers and are normally seen around the edges (generally fighting over scraps with other smaller species).