Hooded vulture

Necrosyrtes monachus

The Hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) is a bird found in Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and 4 more countries. Savanna, towns and fishing villages in West and East Africa. It eats dead animals (carrion) and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Critically Endangered.

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Scientific name	Necrosyrtes monachus
Region	Africa
Found in	Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and 4 more countries

🏡 Where the Hooded vulture lives

Savanna, towns and fishing villages in West and East Africa.

🍽️ What it eats

🦴 Leftovers (carrion)80%
🐛 Insects & bugs20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Critically EndangeredAlmost gone from the wild.

💡 It has a thin beak, good for picking scraps, and it often lives near people.

Questions about the Hooded vulture

Where does the Hooded vulture live?

The Hooded vulture lives in Gambia, Senegal, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia, and 4 more countries. Savanna, towns and fishing villages in West and East Africa.

What does the Hooded vulture eat?

dead animals (carrion) (about 80%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Hooded vulture endangered?

Almost gone from the wild. Its IUCN Red List category is Critically Endangered.

More birds from Africa

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.