Vultures' living community

In the ornithological station "Greifvogelstation Hellenthal" are not just Santiago, the Andean Condor, and a Eurasian Black Vulture living, but also many different vultures in a vultures' living community!!!

A door plates says that in this vultures' living community there are Black Vultures, Turkey Vultures, Eurasian Griffon Vultures, Himalayan Griffon Vultures, Rueppell's Griffons and Bateleur Eagles. But I have to confess that I neither saw Black Vultures nor had a chance to differentiate the Eurasian Griffon Vultures from Himalayan Griffon Vultures. Himalayan Griffon Vultures are light grey while Eurasian Griffon Vultures are brown, but inside their nesting areas with bad lighting conditions they were all looking the same. Fortunately Turkey Vultures and Rueppell's Griffons are easy to recognize!

180° panorama of the vulture's enclosure.

Very nice with a vulture statue infront of the enclosure.

Rueppell's Griffon with it's strikingly plumage colouration.

Probably Himalayan Griffon Vultures.

Rueppell's Griffon.

Eurasian Griffon Vulture? Or Himalayan Griffon Vulture? Very difficult to differentiate!

While the "long-necked" vultures were hiding inside their nesting areas not moving very much the cute Turkey Vultures knew how to make people pay attention to them!!! What a beautiful face ;o)

Lovely portraits!!!

Naughty wing nibble.

The Turkey Vultures came to the fence very close and were posing very elegant. That's why I stopped watching the other vultures and took one pictures of Turkey Vultures after another! Maybe I was the person who ever took pictures of them???

This guy has a strikingly red head! I never saw a Turkey Vulture with such an extreme colouration before! On this picture you can see the hole inside the vulture's beak: It's his nose without a nasal septum that makes the vulture smell very well. Awwwww, Eau de Carrion!

Shy sideglance.

Warming in the sun.

And always playing around with little sticks and branches.

Conclusion: In contrast to the tiny cage of the Andean Condor I really like the big vultures' living community enclosure!!! What makes this enclosure so sensational is that New World Vultures (Turkey Vultures and maybe latent Black Vultures) and Old World Vultures (Eurasian Griffon Vultures, Himalayan Griffon Vultures, Rueppell's Griffons) are living together here! In the wildlife it's impossible, because New World Vultures are living in North and South America while Old World Vultures are living in Europe, Asia and Africa.