Palm-nut Vulture

The Palm-nut Vulture is an atypical Old World vulture, unique among raptors for its largely vegetarian diet centered on palm fruit. It is intermediate in appearance between a vulture and a fish eagle.

Appearance

Adults are predominantly white with glossy black flight feathers and a black tail band, resembling a large white raptor at rest. The face and throat show bare orange-red to yellow skin, and the bill is pale and hooked. Juveniles are dark brown overall and can be confused with other brown raptors until they mature over several years.

Key field marks

• Adults: white body with contrasting black flight feathers and a black tail band
• Bare orange to red facial skin
• Pale, hook-tipped bill
• Often seen perched near oil palms or along rivers and coasts

Similar species

Adults can superficially resemble a small African Fish Eagle, but the Fish Eagle has a chestnut body and white head/breast rather than an all-white body with black wings. Juvenile Palm-nut Vultures are dull brown and can be mistaken for other immature raptors, but their heavier build, bare facial patch, and habitat near palms help identify them.

Habitat

Found near coasts, rivers, swamps, mangroves, and especially stands of oil palm and raffia palm, which provide its main food source.

Range

Widely distributed across West and Central Africa, from Senegal and Gambia east to South Sudan and south to Angola and northern South Africa, generally following the distribution of oil palms and coastal habitats.

Migration

Non-migratory and largely resident, remaining in favored palm and wetland habitats year-round.

Behavior

Unlike most vultures, Palm-nut Vultures are usually seen alone or in pairs rather than large flocks, and they spend much of their time perched in or near palm trees. They fly with slow, heavy wingbeats and soar less frequently than typical vultures.

Voice

Generally quiet; occasionally gives harsh cackling or croaking calls, particularly near the nest.

Feeding

The fibrous outer husk of oil palm and raffia palm fruits makes up the bulk of the diet, supplemented with carrion, crabs, mollusks, locusts, and occasionally small fish or amphibians taken along shorelines.

Nesting and breeding

Builds a large stick nest high in a tree, often a palm, near water. A single egg is typically laid, with both parents involved in incubation and care of the chick.