Changes

==Description==

==Description==

Cape griffon vultures are large and very vigorously built, with long and wide wings and a rather short and only slightly rounded tail.  The species shows a very minimal sex dimorphism in size and weight, the males about 98% the size of the females.  The body length is 38–45 inches, with a wingspan of 7.4–8.5 feet, and a body weight of 15–24 pounds<ref>Ferguson-Lees, Christie; pp 122, 436</ref>.

Cape griffon vultures are large and very vigorously built, with long and wide wings and a rather short and only slightly rounded tail.  The species shows a very minimal sex dimorphism in size and weight, the males about 98% the size of the females.  The body length is 38–45 inches, with a wingspan of 7.4–8.5 feet, and a body weight of 15–24 pounds.<ref>Ferguson-Lees, Christie; pp 122, 436</ref>

Cape griffon vultures are a dirty tan above, with some dark spots.  Below they are a light beige to tan in color, with hints of reddish-beige on the largest part of the trunk, the pelvic floor, and the upper and lower wings, with white making an irregular appearance throughout.  The flight primary and secondary flight feathers are monochrome black-brown to gray-brown.  The unfeathered skin of the face and neck as well as a small unfeathered area at the base of the beak are blue-gray.  The large and strong beak, as well as the unfeathered parts of the legs and the toes, are blackish-gray, the guard-skin blue-gray. The iris is yellow to ivory.  Both males and females are similarly colored.

Cape griffon vultures are a dirty tan above, with some dark spots.  Below they are a light beige to tan in color, with hints of reddish-beige on the largest part of the trunk, the pelvic floor, and the upper and lower wings, with white making an irregular appearance throughout.  The flight primary and secondary flight feathers are monochrome black-brown to gray-brown.  The unfeathered skin of the face and neck as well as a small unfeathered area at the base of the beak are blue-gray.  The large and strong beak, as well as the unfeathered parts of the legs and the toes, are blackish-gray, the guard-skin blue-gray. The iris is yellow to ivory.  Both males and females are similarly colored.

==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 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==

<small><references/></small>  

{{Reflist}}  

*Ferguson-Lees, James, and Christie, David A. ''Raptors of the World''; Christopher Helm, London 2001.

*Ferguson-Lees, James, and Christie, David A. ''Raptors of the World''; Christopher Helm, London 2001.

[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Birds of Prey]][[Category:Vultures]]

[[Category:Birds]][[Category:Birds of Prey]][[Category:Vultures]]