Hooded Vulture
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0

Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks

Hooded Vulture

Necrosyrtes monachus

CRCritically Endangered
Family
Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks (Accipitridae)
Order
Accipitriformes

Overview

The hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) is an Old World vulture in the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus Necrosyrtes, which is sister to the larger Gyps genus, both of which are a part of the Aegypiinae subfamily of Old World vultures. It is native to sub-Saharan Africa, where it has a widespread distribution with populations in southern, East and West Africa. It is a scruffy-looking, small vulture with dark brown plumage, a long thin bill, bare crown, face and fore-neck, and a downy nape and hind-neck.

Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Range and habitat

Savanna of sub-Saharan Africa.

Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.

Sources and further reading

Last updated September 29, 2026.