Posted September 5, 2024 in News
Vulture Chick Update!
Back in March 2024, our Ruppell’s griffon vultures, Morticia and Jekyll, successfully hatched a chick. Having previously raised two young, Morticia and Jekyll are experienced parents and the chick has been continuing to grow healthy and strong every day.
Over the last 6 months, our Animal Care Team have been monitoring the chick closely on CCTV to ensure that both parents were feeding the chick with enough food. On 16th June 2024, the chick began developing its adult feathers and spent more time at the front of the nest, surveying the rest of its habitat. On 8th August 2024, the chick finally fledged and explored the rest of its home. It has since returned to the nest several times to sleep and rest during the day. Although there is no set hierarchy in vultures, the chick was a slightly reserved during its first few feeds as a fledgling but has now learned how to feed for itself.
Our Animal Care Team have not yet confirmed the gender as this requires a DNA test to do so. However, we hope to carry this out soon so watch this space! The fledgling can be seen, along with the rest of the group, at its home at Vulture Valley. The fledgling is easy to distinguish due to its brown juvenile feathers and lack of white ruff.
Ruppell’s griffon vultures can fly at 35km/hr and travel as far as 150km from the nesting site while searching for a carcass. Their keen eyesight allows them to spot a carcass or a group of carnivores on a kill. Ruppell’s griffon vultures can stand up to 90cm tall with a wingspan of 2.6m. They can fly at altitudes of around 37,000 feet which is the highest recorded flight of any bird species! To put this into perspective, the average commercial airplane flies at around 30,000 – 40,000 feet.
Vultures play a crucial role in the eco-system with them being one of nature’s best scavengers, feeding off dead carcasses reducing the risk of disease spreading to other fauna. Unfortunately, Ruppell’s griffon vultures are currently listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species due to habitat loss, decline in food sources and hunting for trade. Therefore, this little arrival is fantastic news for the conservation of this species.
