Himalayan Griffon

The Himalayan griffon is an Old World vulture native to the Himalayas and foothills and the adjacent Tibetan Plateau. It weighs 6 to 12.5kg, averaging about 9kg, with a wingspan quoted at 2.56 to 3.1m. It has dark brown wing quills and tail, a pale buff uniform upperside and buffy leg feathers, a pale blue face and a yellowish bill. It tends not to range below about 1,215m (Wikipedia, general species account).

It differs from the similarly coloured Indian vulture by a stouter, more robust bill, and younger birds have a pale bill and buffy-white streaks on the scapulars and coverts. It makes a rattling sound when descending on a carcass, and grunts or hisses at roosts. It has been recorded eating carrion exclusively, some of it putrid. Its range includes Nepal.