White-headed Vulture

Trigonoceps occipitalis

Other Names

    Vautour à tête blanche   Wollkopfgeier   Buitre Cabeciblanco   Vithuvad gam   Witkopgier   Avvoltoio testabianca

World: Africa: widely distributed S of 15°N although absent from dry areas of E Somalia and the SW, much of South Africa and the equatorial lowland forests of the W.

Kenya: Found in open and lightly wooded game country up to 3000m, mostly absent from the coast and from W Kenya.

White-headed Vultures occur singly or in pairs and are often the first to arrive at a carcass. Like the Lappet-faced Vulture they are able to eat skin, ligament and bones however, unlike the Lappet-faced Vulture they are "clean" feeders (ie they do not get blood on their feathers when they feed). Although they get to a kill first they tend to feed on scraps dropped by, or stolen from, other raptors. They take these to one side, eating them away from the main huddle. They also take stranded fish, termites and locusts when they can find them.