Changes

==Reproduction==

==Reproduction==

Cape griffon vultures are very sociable; they breed in small to medium sized colonies with 5 to a maximum of 900 breeding pairs, rarely if ever breeding individually.  

Cape griffon vultures are very sociable; they breed in small to medium-sized colonies with 5 to a maximum of 900 breeding pairs, rarely if ever breeding individually.  

The nests are built on rock ledges, either in the open or under overhangs.  They are small, with a diameter up to 40 inches and a height of 12 inches for a bird of this size, and consist of sticks and twigs, with with grass, heather, fern and other plant material laid out for comfort.  One or two eggs are laid in the period from April to January, with an incubation lasting from 53 to 59 days.  The young birds leaves the nest after about 140 days.

The nests are built on rock ledges, either in the open or under overhangs.  They are small, with a diameter up to 40 inches and a height of 12 inches for a bird of this size, and consist of sticks and twigs, with grass, heather, fern and other plant material laid out for comfort.  One or two eggs are laid in the period from April to January, with an incubation lasting from 53 to 59 days.  The young birds leaves the nest after about 140 days.

==Threats==

==Threats==

The population of these birds has declined sharply since the beginning of the 1960s, and the range has also been considerably reduced.  In 2013 the total population was estimated to be 9,400 individuals.  The largest concentration of cape griffon vultures is in South Africa; in Botswana there are about 600 pairs, in Lesotho about 552 pairs, and in Mozambique 10 to 15 pairs. The species is completely extinct in Swaziland, while in Zimbabwe there is one localized concentration containing up to 150 nonbreeding individuals.  In Namibia there were about 2000 cape vultures in the 1950s, reduced to only 10-15 nonbreeding individuals by 2000<ref>http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22695225</ref>.

The population of these birds has declined sharply since the beginning of the 1960s, and the range has also been considerably reduced.  In 2013 the total population was estimated to be 9,400 individuals.  The largest concentration of cape griffon vultures is in South Africa; in Botswana there are about 600 pairs, in Lesotho about 552 pairs, and in Mozambique 10 to 15 pairs. The species is completely extinct in Swaziland, while in Zimbabwe there is one localized concentration containing up to 150 nonbreeding individuals.  In Namibia there were about 2000 cape vultures in the 1950s, reduced to only 10-15 nonbreeding individuals by 2000<ref>http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/22695225</ref>.

The species is exposed to a range of hazards in its entire range, with the main causes of of decline unintended poisoning (i.e. poison traps set for different animals, with the vultures feeding on the carcasses); electric shock on power poles and towers; collision with power lines and cars; the reduction the stock of large game mammals; and human persecution and disturbances by humans in the breeding colonies. The IUCN classifies the Cape vulture as "endangered" due to the small total population and the continuing decline in the species.

The species is exposed to a range of hazards in its entire range, with the main causes of decline unintended poisoning (i.e. poison traps set for different animals, with the vultures feeding on the carcasses); electric shock on power poles and towers; collision with power lines and cars; the reduction the stock of large game mammals; and human persecution and disturbances by humans in the breeding colonies. The IUCN classifies the Cape vulture as "endangered" due to the small total population and the continuing decline in the species.

==References==

==References==