Habitat

The Eurasian Griffon is found in areas with open spaces to forage; sufficient availability of carrion from wild and/or domestic ungulates; cliffs, trees, or mounds for nesting; and favorable climatic conditions for flight throughout the year. This updraft-dependent glider needs strongly structured landscapes with canyons, rocky mountains, open plains, hills, or high plateaus. It resides in Mediterranean regions, and arid areas with partly bald karst mountains, desert, or steppe plains (9 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close , 3 Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1980). Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume II: Hawks to Bustards. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 193 Margalida, A., D. García, and A. Cortés-Avizanda (2007). Factors influencing the breeding density of bearded vultures, Egyptian vultures and Eurasian griffon vultures in Catalonia (NE spain): management implications. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 30(2): 189–200. Close ).

Breeding Sites

Nest elevation varied between 15 m in Cres Island (Croatia; 85 Perco, F., S. G. Toso, G. Sušić, and M. Apollonio (1983). Initial data for a study on the status, distribution and ecology of the Griffon vulture, Gyps fulvus fulvus (Hablizl, 1783) in the Kvarner Archipelago. Larus 33–35: 99–134. Close ), 18 m in Cyprus (185 Iezekiel, S., D. E. Bakaloudis, and C. G. Vlachos (2004). The status and conservation of Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus in Cyprus. In Raptors Worldwide. Proceedings of the 6th World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls May 2003, Budapest, Hungary (R. D. Chancellor and B.-U. Meyburg, Editors), World Working Group on Birds of Prey and Owls and MME/BirdLife Hungary, Penti Kft. Budapest, Hungary. pp. 67–73. Close ), 2,600 m in the Atlas Mountains (Morocco) and Armenia (9 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close ), and 3,000 m in Kazakhstan (115 Korelov, M. N. (1962). Otryad khishchnyye ptitsy – Falconiformes. In Ptitsy Kazakhstana (V. F. Gavrin, I. A. Dolgushin, M. N. Korelov, and M. A. Kuzmina, Editors). Tom 2. Izdatel'stvo Akademii Nauk Kazakhskoy SSR, Alma-Ata. pp. 488–707. Close ; Katzner and Sklyarenko, personal communication); while colonies can be located up to 3,000 m in Kazakhstan, most colonies were located at 1,100–1,200 m (115 Korelov, M. N. (1962). Otryad khishchnyye ptitsy – Falconiformes. In Ptitsy Kazakhstana (V. F. Gavrin, I. A. Dolgushin, M. N. Korelov, and M. A. Kuzmina, Editors). Tom 2. Izdatel'stvo Akademii Nauk Kazakhskoy SSR, Alma-Ata. pp. 488–707. Close ; Katzner and Sklyarenko, personal communication). Across Georgia and Azerbaijan, mean nest elevation was 1,383.9 m ± 656.5 SD (range 442.7–2,300, n = 34 nests; 194 Gavashelishvili, A., and M. J. McGrady (2006). Breeding site selection by bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) and Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus) in the Caucasus. Animal Conservation 9: 159–170. Close ), with an elevation range of 162–1,645 m in Azerbaijan (195 Karimov, T., and A. Mammadov (2019). The status of vultures Neophron percnopterus, Gypaetus barbatus, Gyps fulvus, Aegypius monachus (Accipitriformes) in Azerbaijan. Ukrainian Journal of Ecology 9(4):565–570. Close ). In North Caucasus (Russia), mean nest elevation was 1,000–2,300 m (196 Belik, V. P., V. A. Telpov, Y. E. Komarov, and R. K. Pshegusov (2019). Belogolovyy sip Gyps fulvus na Tsentral'nom Kavkaze. Russkiy Ornitologicheskiy Zhurnal 28, Ekspress-vypusk 1777: 2535–2539. Close ). In central Asia, Eurasian Griffon nested between 900–2,000 m in elevation (156 Dementiev, G. P. (1951). Otryad khishchnyye ptitsy Acipitres ili Falconiformes. In Ptitsy Sovetskogo Soyuza (G. P. Dementiev and N. A. Gladkov, Editors), Tom 1. Sowjetskaja Nauka, Moskwa, Russia. pp. 70–341. Close ). In Spain, mean elevation of nests recorded in 1979 was 763 m (range 100–1,600 m, n = 2,251 nests; 197 Sociedad Española de Ornitología (1981). Primer censo de buitreras (1979). Ardeola 26–27: 165–312. Close ). Eurasian Griffon colonies in Spain were situated in the foothills of mountain ranges (but generally not in the interior) and large plains of valleys or plateaus (198 Valverde, J. A., and F. Bernis (1960). Sur l’ecologie de Gyps fulvus en Espagne. In XII International Ornithological Congress Helsinki 5-12. VI. 1958. Proceedings, Volume II (G. Bergman, K. O. Donner and L. V. Haartman, Editors), Tilgmannin Kirjapaino, Helsinki, Finland. pp. 737–740. Close , 197 Sociedad Española de Ornitología (1981). Primer censo de buitreras (1979). Ardeola 26–27: 165–312. Close ). In the Western Pyrenees (France), nest elevation ranged between 500–1,100 m (199 Leconte, M. (1977). Étude de la reproduction de Gyps fulvus dans les Pyrénées occidentales. Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. Close ); the maximum nesting elevation recorded in the Pyrenees was 1,800 m (200 Carlon, J., and J. L. Dunoguiez (1990). Observations éco-éthologiques sur une reproduction record en altitude du Vautour fauve Gyps fulvus dans le Paléarctique Occidental, sur le versant nord des Pyrénées. L’Oiseau et la Revue Francaise d'Ornithologie 60(3): 243–248. Close ).

Most breeding colonies of the Eurasian Griffon in Crete (Greece) nested on dolomitic limestone (70.6%), followed by platy limestone (17.6%), and calcareous conglomerates (11.8%). Mean elevation above sea level was 453 m ± 225 SD, mean cliff height was 171 m ± 89 SD, and mean cliff orientation 167º (n = 34; 201 Xirouchakis, S. M., and M. Mylonas (2004). Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) distribution and density in Crete. Israel Journal of Zoology 50: 341–354. Close ). In Herzegovina (Bosnia and Herzegovina), nests were located mostly on limestone, but also on dolomite rocks. Most nests were located on western exposures at a mean elevation of 378 m (range 100–997 m; 202 Marinković, S. P., L. B. Orlandić, S. B. Skorić, and B. D. Karadžić (2012). Nestsite preference of griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Herzegovina. Archives of Biological Sciences 64(1): 385–392. Close ). Breeding colonies in the Eastern Rhodope Mountains (Bulgaria) were located in larger rocky areas, longer and higher cliffs, on a southern exposure, and a shorter distance to the nearest colony and to the nearest feeding station (203 Dobrev, D. D., and G. S. Popgeorgiev (2021). Habitat preferences of the Eurasian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Bulgaria to support species management. Ornis Fennica 98:116–127. Close ).

In northwestern Spain, the most important environmental variables in determining suitable breeding habitat were the availability of cliffs and livestock, especially an abundance of sheep and goats, within a 10 km radius around the colony (204 Mateo-Tomás, P., and P. P. Olea (2010). Anticipating Knowledge to Inform Species Management: Predicting Spatially Explicit Habitat Suitability of a Colonial Vulture Spreading Its Range. PLoS ONE 5(8): e12374. Close ). As a colony becomes established, the presence or abundance of other Eurasian Griffon becomes an increasingly important factor in the selection of nesting sites, as demonstrated in a long-term study on colonization carried out in the Cantabrian Mountains (Spain). At first (1980–1989), individuals preferred locations on higher cliffs with a higher density of available cattle. From 1990–1999, new breeding locations that had a higher density of breeding pairs within a 3.5 km radius were selected. From 2000–2008, new breeding sites in areas with a higher breeding density and with a lower percentage of open landscape within a 3.5 km radius were chosen (205 Mateo-Tomás, P., and P. P. Olea (2011). The importance of social information in breeding site selection increases with population size in the Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus. Ibis 153(4): 832–845. Close ).

Roost Sites

The Eurasian Griffon gathers in roosts, both during the breeding season and in winter, mainly on cliffs but also in trees (206 Irby, L. H. (1895). The Ornithology of the Straits of Gibraltar. Second Edition. Taylor & Francis, London, UK. Close , 9 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close , 3 Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1980). Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume II: Hawks to Bustards. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). Tracked breeding birds in Bulgaria roosted on their breeding cliffs on average 12% ± 7.9 SD of nights in summer, 29% ± 8.9 SD in autumn, and 38% ± 11.6 SD in winter (207 Dobrev, D., V. Arkumarev, V. Dobrev, A. Stamenov, and D. Demerdzhiev (2020). Use and selection of roost sites by Eurasian Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus in Bulgaria. Bird Study 67(4):496–504. Close ). Summer roosts in Crete (Greece) were situated on platy limestone (100%), with a mean elevation of 1,157 m ± 465 SD, mean cliff height of 249 m ± SD, and mean cliff orientation of 348º (n = 17; 201 Xirouchakis, S. M., and M. Mylonas (2004). Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) distribution and density in Crete. Israel Journal of Zoology 50: 341–354. Close ). In the Sierra de Alcubierre mountains of Aragón (Spain), there were roosting sites on pines (Pinus halepensis; 208 Camiña, A., and E. Montelío (2006). Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus food shortages in the Ebro Valley (NE Spain) caused by regulations against Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). Acta Ornithologica 41(1): 7–13. Close ).

Most breeding birds remain and use the same habitats in winter, although they reduce the size of their foraging area (122 García-Ferré, D., A. Margalida, J. Mestre-Querol, and C. Baiges (2011). Voltor comú. Gyps fulvus. In Atlas dels ocells de Catalunya a l’hivern 2006-2009 (S. Herrando, L. Brotons, J. Estrada, J., S. Guallar and M. Anton, Editors), Institut Català d’Ornitologia/Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. pp. 208–209. Close , 121 Del Moral, J. C. (2012). Buitre leonado. Gyps fulvus. In Atlas de las aves en invierno en España 2007-2010 (J. C. Del Moral, B. Molina, A. Bermejo and D. Palomino, Editors), Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente-SEO/BirdLife, Madrid, Spain. pp. 170–171. Close ).

During the spring and summer, nonbreeding birds were observed in central and eastern Europe, especially in the Alps (9 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close , 3 Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1980). Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa: The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume II: Hawks to Bustards. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ), in southwestern Siberia, and in the arid and semi-desert steppe landscapes of Kazakhstan (9 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close ). Numerous juvenile and immature, but also some adult, Eurasian Griffon also migrate south across the Sahara desert to the Sahel region's semi-arid habitats. In Sudan, it has been mentioned as a sparse winter visitor to extreme arid areas north of 15º N, occasionally to 14º 30’ N (209 Hogg, P., P. J. Dare, and J. V. Rintoul (1984). Palaearctic migrants in the central Sudan. Ibis 126:307–331. Close ). A wintering Eurasian Griffon was located in Sudan and South Sudan in savanna habitats (52.5%) and sparse vegetation and desert (44.86%) at elevations between 450 and 600 m (140 Arkumarev, V., D. Dobrev, and A. Stamenov (2019). First record of Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus from the Balkans migrating to South Sudan revealed by GPS tracking. Scopus 39(2): 27–35. Close ). A juvenile migrant wintered south of the Sahara desert in flooded savannahs and in the transition zone with the Guinean forest ecoregion in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Burkina Faso (143 Martínez, F., J. Oltra, P. Romero-Vidal, O. Frías, J. L. González del Barrio, J. M. Pérez-García, J. L. Tella, M. Carrete, and G. Blanco (2024). Bio-logging shows a central trans-Saharan migration and unknown wintering grounds in Africa of a juvenile griffon vulture from Spain. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 47.1:1–8. Close ). A migrant Eurasian Griffon from the Caucasus was tracked in montane habitats of the Zagros Mountains (Iran) and desert habitats of Iraq and Saudi Arabia (144 McGrady, M. J., and A. Gavashelishvili (2006). Tracking Vultures from the Caucasus into Iran. Podoces 1(1/2): 21–26. Close ). In Türkiye, it overwinters in small numbers at elevations below 1,500 m (210 Kirwan, G. M., K. A. Boyla, P. Castell, B. Demirci, M. Özen, H. Welch, and T. Marlow (2008). The Birds of Turkey - the Distribution, Taxonomy and Breeding of Turkish Birds. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Two adults and one immature were recorded in March in arid plains near Shatrah (Iraq; 211 Al-Sheikhly, O. F., and A. J. Al-Azawi (2019). The diurnal birds of prey (raptors) in the Mesopotamian marshes of southern Iraq with notes on their conservation status. Bulletin of the Iraq Natural History Museum 15(4):381–402. Close ).

In India, migrants were recorded in open scrub areas with Acacia [Senegalia] senegal, Acacia [Vachellia] nilotica, and Euphorbia caducifolia (212 Chhangani, A. K., and S. M. Mohnot (2008). Demography of migratory vultures in and around Jodhpur, India. Vulture News 58: 23–34. Close , 213 Chhangani, A. K. (2009). Present Status of Vultures in the Great Indian Thar Desert. In Faunal Ecology and Conservation of the Great Indian Desert (C. Sivaperuman, Q. H. Baqri, G. Ramaswamy and M. Naseema, Editors), Springer, Berlin and Heidelberg, Germany. pp. 65–83. Close ). Migrant birds (n = 5) were observed between 2006 and 2008 in a tropical, dry, deciduous forest of Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh (India; 214 Majumder, A., S. Basu, K. Sankar, and Q. Quresh (2009). Some observations on vultures in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh. Journal of Threatened Taxa 1(12): 627–628. Close ). It was also found in mixed deciduous forests, thorn forests, and woodland savannah of Gir National Park, India (215 Grubh, R. B. (1978). The Griffon vultures (Gyps bengalensis, G. indicus & G. fulvus) of Gir Forest: their feeding habits and the nature of association with the asiatic lion. The Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 75: 1058–1068. Close ). In Uttar Pradesh (India), wintering Eurasian Griffon were mainly recorded in the Tarai ecozone, characterized by tropical moist deciduous forest and a combination of lower temperature and higher precipitation as compared to the rest of the state. Other areas used include Vindhyan-Bundelkhand, Gangetic, and semi-arid ecozones (216 Jha, R., A. Kanaujia, and K. K. Jha (2022). Wintering habitat modelling for conservation of Eurasian vultures in northern India. Nova Geodesia 2(1):22. Close ). In Pakistan, the Eurasian Griffon was observed in warmer foothills and plains in winter (114 Roberts, T. J. (1991). The Birds of Pakistan. Volume 1. Non-Passeriformes. Oxford University Press, Karachi, Pakistan. Close ).

Roost Sites

Winter roosts in Crete (Greece) were mostly on platy limestone (63.6%), followed by dolomitic limestone (27.3%), and calcareous conglomerates (9.1%), with a mean elevation above sea level of 605 m ± 400 SD, mean cliff height of 144 m ± 103 SD, and mean cliff orientation of 264º (n = 11; 201 Xirouchakis, S. M., and M. Mylonas (2004). Griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) distribution and density in Crete. Israel Journal of Zoology 50: 341–354. Close ). In the region of Madrid (Spain), 27 winter roosts were counted between 2000–2001, of which 25 were in rocky areas and two were on pines (Pinus pinaster; 217 Traverso, J. M. (2001). Censos invernales de buitre leonado (Gyps fulvus) en la Comunidad de Madrid. Años 2000 y 2001. Anuario Ornitológico de Madrid 2001: 108–113. Close ). In the Gir Forest (India), migrating birds roosted on cliffs and trees (218 Grubh, R. B. (1978). Competition and co-existence in Griffon vultures: Gyps bengalensis, G. indicus and G. fulvus in Gir Forest. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 75(3): 810–814. Close ).

In Bulgaria, roost cliff selection in the pre-breeding season was predicted by cliff height, cliff length, distance to the nearest feeding site, and breeding occupancy of the cliff. Tracked individuals roosted on breeding cliffs mostly in autumn (80.1% ± 24.2 SD) and winter (88% ± 24.8 SD); lower proportions were recorded in spring (59.4% ± 25.3 SD) and summer (45.8 SD ± 24.8 SD; 207 Dobrev, D., V. Arkumarev, V. Dobrev, A. Stamenov, and D. Demerdzhiev (2020). Use and selection of roost sites by Eurasian Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus in Bulgaria. Bird Study 67(4):496–504. Close ). Roosts are frequently located near feeding sites. In Cádiz Province (Spain), a roost of 649 Eurasian Griffon in January 1997 was located in cork oaks (Quercus suber) next to a garbage dump (219 Garrido, J. R., and C. G. Sarasa (1998). Importancia del vertedero de Los Barrios (Campo de Gibraltar, Cádiz) en la ruta migratoria occidental del milano negro (Milvus migrans) y el buitre leonado (Gyps fulvus). Almoraima: revista de estudios campogibraltareños 19: 217–224. Close ). In the Bikaner District (Rajasthan, India), migrants roosted in trees close to carcass dumps (220 Khatri, P. C. (2013). Home range use of winter migratory vultures in and around Jorbeer, Bikaner (Rajasthan) India. Bioscience Discovery 4(1): 96–99. Close ).

In Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary (Madhya Pradesh, India), migrants roosted in large trees (mean height 30 m) with Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis), White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), and Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus) (221 Yadav, R., and A. Kanaujia (2023). Factors influencing the Selection of roost sites of vultures with special references to roosting trees in Palpur-Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh, India. International Journal of Life Sciences 11(1):89–98. Close ).

The number of roosting sites used by nonbreeding individuals can vary throughout the seasons. In Castellón Province (Spain), during a mean number of 197 tracking days, nonbreeding adults used a mean of four roosting sites per bird (range 1–10, n = 8; 222 García-Ripollés, C., P. López-López, and V. Urios (2011). Ranging behaviour of non-breeding Eurasian Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus: a GPS-telemetry study. Acta Ornithologica 46(2): 127–34. Close ). In southwestern Bulgaria, immature individuals used a mean number of 7 roosting sites (± 5 SD, range 2–15, n = 7) during a mean number of 195 tracking days (223 Peshev, H., E. Stoynov, D. Parvanov, and A. Grozdanov (2018). Seasonal and Spatial Dynamics of the Population of the Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus (Hablizl, 1783) (Aves: Accipitridae) in Southwestern Bulgaria. Acta Zoologica Bulgarica 12: 67–75. Close ).