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Afrikaans = Baardaasvoël
 Shape
in flight is unlike any other in the region:
the long narrow pointed wings and long
wedge-shaped tail make the bird resemble a
huge falcon. The adult is mainly dark above
and rust-coloured underparts and has a black
mask across the face, terminating in a black
'beard'.
Habitat: The Bearded Vulture is confined to the higher reaches of
the Drakensberg mountains. Rare and
thinly distributed.
Afrikaans: Kransaavoël
 Difficult
to distinguish from the White-backed
Vulture, the Cape vulture is usually much
whiter in appear-ance, with dark flight
feathers contrasting with pale wing linings.
Two bare patches of blue skin at the base of
the neck are diagnostic.
Habitat: The Cape vulture is wide ranging throughout South
Africa, but breeds on cliffs.
Xhosa = Isilwangangubo
Afrikaans = Swartaasvoël
 At
close range the bare red skin on face and throat is
diagnostic. In flight, the white thighs and white
bar running along the forepart of the under-wing from
the carpel joint to the body, are conspicuous.
Habitat: The Lappet-faced Vulture is found in the
thornveld and drier regions across the northern
parts of South Africa, particularly in game reserves
in the Northern Cape,
North West,
Limpopo and
Mpumalanga.
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Afrikaans = Witrugaasvoël
 If
seen from above or when banking steeply in flight,
the adult has a white lower back which contrast with
dark upper wings. This contrast is not as marked as
the Cape Vulture. It is also smaller than the Cape
Vulture and more of a bushveld species, avoiding
mountainous cliffs.
Habitat: The White-backed Vulture is found in open
savannah parkland. The most frequently seen vulture
in bushveld game reserves, being common in the
northern parts of South Africa. There are many breeding pairs on farms just north of
Kimberley, where they can be seen in pylons or even
flying over the city.
Afrikaans = Witkopaasvoël
 This
is the only dark vulture with large white
wing patches in Southern Africa. These
patches are confined to the second-aries and
are white in the female and off-white to
grey in the male. The triangular-looking
head and the neck are white, the naked face
is pink, and the bill is orange with a blue
base.
Habitat: The white-headed vulture is
uncommon and rarely seen outside game
reserves. It can be found in the Kgalagadi
Transfrontier National Park as well as
national parks in Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
South Africa is home to no less
than nine vulture species. Seven of
these are listed in the Red Data
Book of Birds of South Africa,
Lesotho and Swaziland as facing a
certain degree of threat of
extinction. The Egyptian Vulture is
one of only two bird species listed
as “Regionally Extinct” in South
Africa. The Bearded Vulture, whose
range in southern Africa is
restricted to the Maluti-Drakensberg
mountains, is classified as
“Endangered” and continues to
decline in numbers due to a range of
factors. The Cape Vulture only
occurs within southern Africa. Other
species, such as the Lappet-faced,
Hooded, White-headed and African
White-backed Vulture mostly occur in
large conservation areas and are
listed as “Vulnerable”.
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