Cinereous Vulture
Cinereous VultureCinereous VultureCinereous VultureCinereous Vulture

Cinereous Vulture

Aegypius monachus

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
40–50% · Likely
overall probability at Sierra de Guadarrama National Park
1,729 Verified records at Sierra de Guadarrama National Park
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's active during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

The cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), also known as the black vulture, Eurasian black vulture, and monk vulture, is a very large raptor in the family Accipitridae distributed through much of temperate Eurasia. With a body length of 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in), 3.1 m (10 ft) across the wings and a maximum weight of 12.5 kg (28 lb), it is the largest Old World vulture and largest member of the family Accipitridae. Aegypius monachus is one of the largest birds of prey and it plays an important role in its various ecosystems by eating carcasses, which in turn reduces the spread of diseases. The vultures are constantly exposed to many pathogens because of their eating carrion. A study of the gastric and immune defense systems conducted in 2015 sequenced the bird's entire genome. The study compared cinereous vultures to bald eagles, finding positively selected genetic variations associated with respiration and the ability of the vulture's immune defense responses and gastric acid secretion to digest carcasses. Wikipedia →

40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Cinereous Vulture sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, based on 1,729 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Sierra de Guadarrama National Park

Red Kite
LC

Red Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Milvus milvus

50–60% · Likely
Griffon Vulture
LC

Griffon Vulture

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gyps fulvus

50–60% · Likely
Black Kite
LC

Black Kite

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Milvus migrans

30–40% · Possible
Booted Eagle
LC

Booted Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hieraaetus pennatus

20–30% · Possible
Common Buzzard
LC Endemic

Common Buzzard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Buteo buteo

20–30% · Possible
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
LC

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Accipiter nisus

5–10% · With luck
Short-toed Eagle
LC

Short-toed Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circaetus gallicus

<5% · Rare
Adalbert's Eagle
VU

Adalbert's Eagle

Bird

Aquila adalberti

<5% · Rare
European Honey-buzzard
LC

European Honey-buzzard

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pernis apivorus

<5% · Rare
Western Marsh-Harrier
LC

Western Marsh-Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus aeruginosus

<5% · Rare
Golden Eagle
LC Endemic

Golden Eagle

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Aquila chrysaetos

<5% · Rare
Montagu's Harrier
LC

Montagu's Harrier

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Circus pygargus

<5% · Rare

📅 Monthly Probability

30–40
Jan
40–50
Feb
30–40
Mar
30–40
Apr
40–50
May
50–60
Jun
40–50
Jul
40–50
Aug
30–40
Sep
50–60
Oct
30–40
Nov
40–50
Dec

☀️ When They're Spotted

Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)

☀️Diurnal
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

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

# Park Country Probability
1 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
40–50%
2 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
40–50%
3 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
10–20%
4 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
10–20%
5 Jim Corbett National Park 🇮🇳 India
5–10%
6 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
5–10%
7 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
8 Picos de Europa National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
9 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
10 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
11 Royal Manas National Park 🇧🇹 Bhutan
<5%
12 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
13 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
14 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
15 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
16 Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
17 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
18 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
Insufficient data
19 Langtang National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
20 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
21 Hemis National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
22 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
23 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Cinereous Vulture in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park?

About 42% of wildlife watchers report a Cinereous Vulture sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, based on 1,729 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Cinereous Vulture in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Cinereous Vulture in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park in our monthly data.

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