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Vulture; Buitre

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41.2011, -3.58929

Field Notes

Description:

Not going for a definite either way with this Vulture. Griffons are very common here while Blacks are rare but 2 pairs of Blacks are known to be in the area of Rascafria just a few miles to the south west and they have been seen here. This one was quite high and the shoulders appear to have more extensive pale than I would expect but when I try to lighten the shadows there is no evidence of pale markings under the wings which would confirm it as a Griffon. The first picture does appear to show paler leading edges but it is flying towards a low sun. Usually a few moments observation would confirm it either way but in this case I am not prepared to say definite either way.

Habitat:

Soaring over mountain airfield at 1100 metres asl.

Species ID Suggestions

Comments (1)
JoshuaGSmith
I would contend that this is a Eurasian Black Vulture. I'm no expert by any means, but you don't really see the light colored neck of a griffon on this bird. Instead, the head looks rather dark as in the Black. Your bird's tail is also quite similar to the tails in photos of Eurasian Blacks as opposed to those of the Griffons. If you look closely at the bill of the bird in picture #2, you will notice that the entire end is dark whereas the base of the bill is contrastingly lighter. This is perhaps the best clue to this bird's identity. I have seen no picture of a griffon with this feature. Hopefully, this helps! Good birding and thanks for your excellent contributions to PN.

Spotted for Missions

Mission
Birds of the World
Mission
Birds of Iberia
Mission
Biodiversidad en España/Spain
Mission
Mission WILD
Photographed
PublishedFebruary 22, 2016

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