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To the Beauty of Birds

Rüppell's vulture or Rüppell's Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppelli) is a large vulture that occurs throughout the Sahel region (the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition in Africa between the Sahara desert to the north and the Sudanian Savanna to the south) of central Africa. Rüppell's vulture is named in honor of Eduard Rüppell, a 19th-century German explorer, collector, and zoologist. Rüppell's vulture is considered to be the highest-flying bird, with confirmed evidence of a flight at an altitude of 37,000 ft above sea level.

These are large vultures, noticeably outsizing the closely related White-backed Vulture, with which they often co-occur in the wild. Adults are 33 to 41 in long, with a wingspan of 7.4 to 8.5 ft, and a weight that ranges from 14 to 20 lb. Both genders look alike: mottled brown or black overall with a whitish-brown underbelly and thin, dirty-white fluff covering the head and neck. The base of the neck has a white collar, the eye is yellow or amber, the crop patch deep brown. The beak is white, distinguishing it form the black beak of the White-backed Vulture. They also distinctive is the thickly white scaled appearance of the wing coverts.

Silent as a rule, they become vocal at their nest and when at a carcass, squealing a great deal.

The griffin, griffon, or gryphon (Greek: γρύφων, grýphōn, or γρύπων, grýpōn, early form γρύψ, grýps; Latin: gryphus) is a legendary creature with the body, tail, and back legs of a lion; the head and wings of an eagle; and an eagle's talons as its front feet. Because the lion was traditionally considered the king of the beasts and the eagle the king of birds, the griffin was thought to be an especially powerful and majestic creature. The griffin was also thought of as king of all creatures. Griffins are known for guarding treasure and priceless possessions.

These were photographed at Masai Mara and Taragire National Park. The 0000 series photos were taken at the Santa Barbara Zoo.