African White-Backed Vulture(Gyps Africanus)
They are a species of Old World vulture. It is more closely related to buzzards, kites and eagles than it is to New World vultures. The white-backed vulture is a typical vulture, with only down feathers on the head and neck, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff. The adult’s whitish back contrasts with the otherwise dark plumage. Juveniles are largely dark. This is a medium-sized vulture; its body mass is 4.2-7.2 kgs, it is 78-98 cm long and has a 1.96-2.25 m wingspan.
Habitat
These vultures are widespread across Africa except in the far north and south and in the Congo basin. They are mainly seen in open wooded savannahs. It requires tall trees for nesting, but has also been recorded nesting on electricity pylons in South Africa. It is a gregarious species congregating at carcasses, in thermals and at roost sites. It nests in loose colonies.
Diet
White-backed vultures are an endangered species, living in a diminishing environment, which results in a decrease in the amount of food available. This increases competition for food, which affects them in two ways. First, the white-backed vulture is not a species that shares food with others of its own species. Second, the white-backs face competition for food with other animals in their habitat. The main food source of the creature are the carcasses of animals in its habitat. The creature soars over the Savannah and even wooded areas in search of food. It will also follow the water streams during the wet season, an ideal place to find food, as other animals are gathered to get water. Some examples of what a white-backed vulture eat are warthogs, zebras, gazelles, or ostriches, but it will basically feast on the carcass of any animal.
Breeding
They nest in trees. They typically choose tall trees along riparian habitats and show strong a preference for Acacia species. The nests are large, around 1m in diameter, and are made of large sticks and lined with leaves and grasses. White-backed vultures face threats from habitat degradation and poaching; as such they have been shown to avoid anthropogenically-disturbed areas when selecting nest sites and protection status is also a strong determinant of site selection. White-backed vultures have a long breeding cycle. The incubation period is around 8 weeks and the nestling period is about 4–5 months.
Population
According to the IUCN Red List they are classed as Critically Endangered(CR). They are decreasing rapidly which was found out when they were assessed on the 7th August 2018. There are around 270,000 mature individuals. The most recent data on this species's population suggests that the species has declined extremely rapidly, with a median estimate of 90% over three generations (55 years). Declines have exceeded 90% in West Africa, and have also occurred in other parts of the range, e.g. in Sudan and Kenya. Populations are apparently stable in Ethiopia and Tanzania.
Threats
The species faces similar threats to other African vultures, being susceptible to habitat conversion to agro-pastoral systems, loss of wild ungulates leading to a reduced availability of carrion, hunting for trade, persecution and poisoning. In East Africa, the primary issue is poisoning, which occurs primarily outside protected areas; the large range sizes of this species puts them at significant risk, as this means they inevitably spend considerable time outside protected areas. Hunting with lead ammunition may also be incidentally contributing to species mortality. Recent evidence from wing-tagging and telemetry studies suggests that annual mortality, primarily from incidental poisoning, can be as high as 25% for the species. At least 144 White-backed Vultures were killed after feeding on an elephant carcass in Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe in 2012, and modelling has shown that even one poisoned elephant carcass can have a dramatic impact on a population.
In southern Africa, vultures are caught and consumed for perceived medicinal and psychological benefits , and the decline and possible extirpation in Nigeria has been attributed to the trade in vulture parts for traditional juju practices. The species is recorded in trade in West and Central Africa, with an estimated 924-1,386 individuals traded over a six year period in West Africa, probably representing a significant proportion of the species's regional population. In South Africa, They are one of the preferred vulture species in trade, according to a survey of traditional healers and traders. As a result of this and environmental pressures, it is predicted that the population in Zululand could become locally extinct in 26 years, unless harvest rates have been underestimated, in which case local extinction could be 10-11 years away. There is also evidence that it is captured for international trade; for example in 2005, 13 individuals of this species being kept illegally in Italy were reportedly confiscated.
Electrocution on powerlines is also a problem in parts of its range, and it is vulnerable to nest harvesting or disturbance by humans; as it breeds in trees rather than on inaccessible cliffs. Additionally, the wild ungulate populations on which this species relies have declined precipitously throughout West and East Africa, even in protected areas, and there is a minor threat from road traffic, with individuals occasionally killed by vehicles.
Conservation
Conservation and Research Actions Underway
The species is covered by a Multi-species Action Plan (MsAP) for the conservation of African-Eurasian vultures. The species occurs in a number of protected areas throughout its range, and ongoing monitoring efforts are underway in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Namibia, Ethiopia, and Botswana with plans to extend these to Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Conservation and Research Actions Proposed
As part of the Multi-species Action Plan for African-Eurasian Vultures, over 120 key actions were put forward. Of these, 117 are considered relevant to African species.
The two objectives with the most essential actions are to address knowledge gaps, and to reduce vulture unintentional mortality caused by the hunting of vertebrates.
Further objectives also look into combating vulture mortality due to a range of factors. To combat the threat from NSAIDs, the essential actions proposed are to prohibit the use of vulture-toxic NSAIDs in livestock and substitute them for vulture-friendly alternatives; and develop and implement a formal process to identify whether veterinary NSAIDs are toxic prior to them going on the market. In order to combat the threats from illegal trade and sentinel poisoning awareness and engagement programmes with stakeholders and training of rapid response units, respectively, have been proposed as essential actions. The threats from infrastructure (collisions and electrocution) have similar essential actions, which are to conduct sensitivity mapping exercises to identify key regions; and promoting CMS guidelines to reduce mortality due to these threats.