Griffon vultures are a species of old world vulture found across Europe, Asia and Africa.

Their neck is bare of feathers an important adaptation as these animals are carnivores which primarily scavenge for carcasses of deceased animals to consume.

Pairs form a nest on a cliffside in to which they deposit a single egg. Nesting takes place in groups with as many as 150 other pairs in some cases.

These animals have been threatened over time as a result of ingesting poison which has been left out. Typically they are not the intended target of these poisons.

Read on to learn more about these brilliant birds.

Appearance

The head and neck of the griffon vulture is colored white with dark brown around the eyes. Around the neck they have a collar of fluffy, white feathers. Their body, back and wings are colored light brown with the flight feathers being darker.

Their beak is well adapted for tearing the flesh of their food. It is curved at the upper tip and is colored horn.

They are equipped with grey legs and feet which are whitish along the inner thigh. Their feet are large and are used to hop across around the ground rather than walking.

Their long slender neck is an adaptation which allows them to reach their head deeper in to the carcasses of food items to tear flesh.

On the chest of the griffon vulture is a patch of bare feathers which change color as a reflection of their mood. It can vary from white to blue and red.

Their eye is colored golden brown.

An average adult griffon vulture will measure 110cm (43in) long with a weight of 6-13kg (13.2-28.6lbs). They have a wingspan of 230-265cm (7.5-8.7ft) across.

Males and females share a similar appearance but females tend to be larger than males.

Griffon vultures can be distinguished from the similar African white-backed vulture as they are larger overall and are paler in color.

Diet

Griffon vultures are carnivores. They primarily seek out carrion on which they can feed. When seeking out food they soar above and can spot food from 5km away.

They have been known to hunt live animals themselves but usually only those which are sick or injured.

With the expansion of humans they will often use rubbish dumps as a scavenging site.

After feeding they will often go past water and quickly plunge in to the water before going and spending time with their wings open to the sun to dry their plumage.