Cape Vulture

Found in mountainous terrain and open savanna across southern Africa, this large colonial vulture roosts and nests on sheer cliff faces, departing in the mid-morning once thermals develop and often gathering in conspicuous, noisy groups at carcasses. Look for the creamy-buff plumage contrasting with dark flight feathers, the bare pale blue neck pouch, and the distinctive white ruff at the base of the neck, and listen for grunting, hissing squabbles when multiple birds compete at a feeding site. The best sightings come in the cooler dry months of May through August around known breeding colonies in the Drakensberg, Magaliesberg, or Mantsonyane cliffs, arriving before mid-morning when birds launch from roost ledges and begin circling in tight groups on the first rising air.