Palm-nut Vulture

Gypohierax angolensis

Africa's only largely vegetarian raptor. Eats oil palm fruit almost exclusively.

Population: ~80,000 breeding pairs across Africa (trend: stable)
Habitat: Coastal forests, mangrove swamps, wet savanna, and woodland below about 1,500 m elevation; distribution closely tracks the presence of oil palms and raffia palms
Fun fact: The Palm-nut Vulture is the smallest Old World vulture and, unlike almost every other raptor, is primarily a fruit-eater, subsisting mainly on the husks of oil-palm and raffia-palm fruit.
Range: Sub-Saharan Africa, from The Gambia in the west across to Kenya in the east and south to South Africa (small population, ~40 birds)
Diet: Unusually for a raptor, primarily frugivorous — fleshy husks of oil-palm and raffia-palm fruit make up over 60% of an adult's diet and over 90% of a juvenile's; supplemented with dates, other fruit, grains, crabs, molluscs, frogs, fish, insects, small mammals, birds, reptiles/reptile eggs, and carrion
Size: 0.6 m

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