Palmnut Vulture
Gypohierax angolensis
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderAccipitriformes
- FamilyAccipitridae (Accipítrids)
- GenusGypohierax (Palm-nut Vultures)
- SpeciesGypohierax angolensis (Palmnut Vulture)
The palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis) or vulturine fish eagle, is a large bird of prey in the family Accipitridae (which also includes many other diurnal raptors such as kites, buzzards and harriers, vultures, and eagles). It is the only member of the genus Gypohierax. This bird is an Old World vulture (only distantly related to the New World vultures, which are in a separate family, the Cathartidae). It breeds in forest and savannah across sub-Saharan Africa, usually near water, its range coinciding with that of the oil and Raffia palms. It is quite approachable, like many African vultures, and can be seen near habitation, even on large hotel lawns in the tourist areas of countries such as the Gambia. Wikipedia →
40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Palmnut Vulture sighting in Queen Elizabeth National Park, based on 662 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Queen Elizabeth National Park
African Fish-Eagle
Haliaeetus vocifer
Long-crested Eagle
Lophaetus occipitalis
Bateleur
Terathopius ecaudatus
White-backed Vulture
Gyps africanus
Black Kite
Milvus migrans
Brown Snake Eagle
Circaetus cinereus
Black-winged Kite
Elanus caeruleus
African Harrier-Hawk
Polyboroides typus
Banded Snake-Eagle
Circaetus cinerascens
Black-breasted Snake Eagle
Circaetus pectoralis
Wahlberg's Eagle
Hieraaetus wahlbergi
Martial Eagle
Polemaetus bellicosus
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Palmnut Vulture in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
About 48% of wildlife watchers report a Palmnut Vulture sighting in Queen Elizabeth National Park, based on 662 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Palmnut Vulture in Queen Elizabeth National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Palmnut Vulture in Queen Elizabeth National Park in our monthly data.