182 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



GYPS FULVUS 



268. Gyps fulvus fulvus (Hablizl)— THE GRIFFON-VULTURE. 



Vuxtue, ruivus Hablizl, Neue Nbrdische Beytraege, iv, p. 58 (1783 — 



Mts. of Gilan, N. Persia). 



Gyps fulvus (J. F. Gmelin), Yarrell, 1, p. 1 ; Saunders, p. 311. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter and summer. — 

 Head and throat creamy-white, covered with longish fine bristle- 

 like feathers and back of neck with short down ; at base of back 

 of neck a ruff of creamy-white feathers of very loose structure 

 having long rami and very short or no radii ; mantle varying pale 

 yellow-brown or sandy-brown to dark brown with varying amount 

 of grey tinge ; scapulars same but longer feathers only tipped and 

 edged pale and rest of feathers black-brown ; feathers of rump 

 slightly darker than mantle and with pale shaft-streaks and small 

 pale tips ; upper tail-coverts as mantle with dark brown basal 

 portions ; from base of throat and covering whole crop-region 

 feathers are very short and narrow and lie so flat and close that this 

 patch appears like hair, colour bumsh-brown to dark brown or dark 

 reddish-brown with fine paler streaks, this patch encircled by white 

 under-down ; rest of under -parts including axillaries and under 

 wing-coverts varying pinkish sandy-brown to darker rufous-brown 

 (often with a slight greyish tinge) feathers usually with narrow paler 

 shaft-streaks, lower series of under wing-coverts dull white with 

 a pair of large oval dark brown spots ; tail black ; primaries black, 

 basal unemarginated portions edged greyish-brown, secondaries 

 browner black and outer webs grey-brown ; primary-coverts as 

 secondaries ; greater coverts black-brown, fringed and tipped pale 

 sandy-brown ; lesser and median coverts like mantle. Thick 

 white under-down of woolly appearance. This plumage is acquired 

 by complete moult apparently commencing in April and most 

 active in May and June but period seems variable. 



Nestling. — At first down on head and neck very short and 

 white, replaced by longer white down when down (a) on rest of 

 body is being replaced by feathers. Not determined whether first 

 down on head and neck is down (a) or down (b). Rest of upper- 

 parts longer, down (a) pale grey with buffish tinge on wings and tail, 

 under-parts paler grey, middle of breast and belly and patches at 

 sides of base of neck bare. Later whole body thickly covered with 

 rather longer and much coarser and woolly, creamy-white down 

 (c). A very few tufts here and there of short down (b) are to be 

 found on tips of down (c). 



Juvenile. — Like adult but crown covered with short down 

 not long and bristle-like ; feathers of ruff very long, narrow and 

 pointed (lanceolate) with short rami and not loosely constructed 

 as in adult and -with pinkish-brown edges and wide sandy-coloured 

 shaft-stripes ; upper-parts darker and more pinkish than in adult 

 (not so sandy) and feathers with narrow pale shaft-streaks especially 



