Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks
Cinereous Vulture
Aegypius monachus
- Family
- Kites, Old World Vultures, Eagles, and Hawks (Accipitridae)
- Order
- Accipitriformes
Overview
The cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), also known as the black vulture, Eurasian black vulture, and monk vulture, is a very large raptor in the family Accipitridae distributed through much of temperate Eurasia. With a body length of 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in), 3.1 m (10 ft) across the wings and a maximum weight of 12.5 kg (28 lb), it is the largest Old World vulture and largest member of the family Accipitridae.
Aegypius monachus is one of the largest birds of prey and it plays an important role in its various ecosystems by eating carcasses, which in turn reduces the spread of diseases. The vultures are constantly exposed to many pathogens because of their eating carrion.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to see it
Destination guides featuring this bird
Range and habitat
Mediterranean basin to eastern Asia.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Countries
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Andorra
- Armenia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- China
- Cyprus
- Egypt
- Georgia
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Italy
- Kazakhstan
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Nepal
- North Macedonia
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Poland
- Russia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Cinereous vulture
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.

