Torgos tracheliotos

It is not closely related to the superficially similar New World vultures, and does not share the good sense of smell of some members of that group. Like many vultures, it has a bald head. The pink coloration is a distinctive feature. The head is bald because a feathered head would become spattered with blood and other fluids, and thus be difficult to keep clean.

Picture of the Torgos tracheliotos has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike.
Author: Christopher Holden from Albuquerque, United StatesCamera location

The Torgos tracheliotos is classified as Vulnerable (VU), considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.

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Lappet-faced Vultures Torgos tracheliotos in the Namib-Naukluft Park, Namibia. Vulture News 48: 3. Bridgeford P, Simmons RE Recent unnatural vulture deaths in Namibia 1995-2001. Unpublished data. Brown CJ. 1986. Biology and conservation of the Lappet faced Vulture in SWA/Namibia. Vulture News 16: 10-20. Brown CJ 1991 Declining Martial Polemaetus bellicosus and Tawny Aquila rapax Eagle populations and causes of mortality or farmlands in Central Namibia. Biol. Conserv. 56:49-62. More

Picture of Torgos tracheliotos above has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution.
Original source: Drew Avery
Author: Drew Avery
Permission: Some rights reserved
Order : Falconiformes
Family : Accipitridae
Genus : Torgos
Species : tracheliotos
Authority : (Forster, 1791)