White-backed vulture
Amazing fact
When a white-backed vulture spreads its wings, the white feathers on its back stand out.
上野動物園
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
When a white-backed vulture spreads its wings, the white feathers on its back stand out.
THE REAL WORLD
The real White-backed vulture
- Scientific name
- Gyps africanus
- Japanese name
- コシジロハゲワシ
- Group
- Birds
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
- Genus
- Gyps
It lives in the dry lands of central and southern Africa, where open grasslands and low shrubs spread out.
Its head and neck have few feathers, which is thought to help keep it clean when it eats the meat of dead animals.
It glides high in the sky on outspread wings, searching for the bodies of dead animals to eat.
How the White-backed vulture lives
It builds its nest in a tree and lays eggs.
上野動物園Basic data
- Size
- Total length: 78–90 cm
- Weight
- 5.5 kg
- Diet
- Meat and soft bone tissues of large animal carcasses
- Range
- Central and southern Africa
Where the White-backed vulture has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- コシジロハゲワシ
- 简体中文
- 非洲白背兀鹫
- 繁體中文
- 白背兀鷲
- 한국어
- 흰등독수리
- Español
- Buitre dorsiblanco africano
- Français
- Vautour africain
- Deutsch
- Weißrückengeier
- Português (Brasil)
- Grifo-africano
- Italiano
- Grifone africano
- العربية
- نسر أبيض الظهر
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Hering punggung-putih
- Tiếng Việt
- Kền kền lưng trắng
- Русский
- Африканский гриф
- Türkçe
- Ak Sırtlı Akbaba
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 上野動物園 — コシジロハゲワシChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the White-backed vulture, look for this
- Look for the sparse, white, downy feathers on its head.
- Look at its dark brown bill, too.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
上野動物園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the White-backed vulture
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
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Others in Accipitridae
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