RÜPPELL'S GRIFFON VULTURE in ANDALUCIA, SPAIN

By DAN FORDER WILDLIFE (@DanFWildlife)
On an excellent guided day tour in Andalucia, with Bob Bucker of Wingspan Bird Tours, I noticed a darker, more stocky than usual Griffon Vulture drifting over the cafetería near Casares, where we'd stopped for a coffee. I was dazzled by the sun as we left the shade of the veranda so I took some record shots for scrutiny - on inspecting the photos out of the bright sunshine, my suspicions were confirmed - it was a RÜPPELL'S (GRIFFON) VULTURE.

Rüppell's Vulture near Casares, Andalucia, Spain.

I later found out that just one Rüppell's Vulture had recorded in Spain that spring, & this was likely the same individual.

Here are the notable identifying features...
  • dark & not at all rusty below
  • no rustiness in underwing coverts
  • no contrast between flight feathers & coverts
  • well defined & distinctively shaped double light bars on underwing coverts
  • thin double pale lines on coverts
  • bulge to secondary edge starts right up to primaries
  • orange/red translucency in primaries & secondaries (not seen written but from images seems to be a key feature of Rüppell's)
  • dark head
  • purplish throat
  • black base of neck
  • stockier body
  • dark feet

Rüppell's Vulture near Casares,
Andalucia, Spain.

Rüppell's Vulture near Casares,
Andalucia, Spain.

Rüppell's Vulture near Casares,
Andalucia, Spain.

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