Hooded Vulture
Necrosyrtes monachus
A small African vulture with a bare pink face and a downy "hood" that cleans up carrion and is now critically endangered.
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About the Hooded Vulture
Hooded vultures weigh only 3.3 to 5.7 pounds but have wings up to 6.5 feet across. They are mostly brown with a naked pink head, a cream-colored downy hood and a slender hooked bill. They live across sub-Saharan Africa in grasslands, savannas, forest edges, deserts, coasts and even cities, and need tall trees for nesting.[1]
Quick facts
- Scientific name
- Necrosyrtes monachus[1]
- Size
- Wingspan up to 6.5 feet.[1]
- Weight
- 3.3 to 5.7 pounds.[1]
- Lifespan
- 15 to 30 years.[1]
- Diet
- Scavenger. Carrion, eggs, trash, insects and shellfish.[1]
- Habitat
- Grassland, wooded savanna, forest edges, deserts, coasts and towns.[1]
- Where it lives
- Sub-Saharan Africa.[1]
- Babies
- One egg.[1]
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2016).[2]
Fun facts
Vocabulary
- carrion
- The meat of an animal that is already dead.
- scavenger
- An animal that eats dead plants or animals it finds.
- microbiome
- The tiny living things, like bacteria, that live on or in an animal.
- raptor
- A bird of prey, such as a hawk, eagle, vulture or owl.
- critically endangered
- A conservation label meaning a species faces an extremely high risk of dying out in the wild.
See it in person
- Oakland ZooOakland, California · African SavannaSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗
These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.
Sources
- [1] Oakland Zoo. “Hooded Vulture.” https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/hooded-vulture/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
- [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Necrosyrtes monachus (Hooded Vulture).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22695185/118599398 (accessed 2026-10-02)
Facts last checked 2026-10-02.
