CreatureData

Cape vulture

Gyps coprotheres (J. R. Forster, 1798)

VUVulnerablebirds of prey

The cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres) is a species in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. Recorded adults weigh 7.86 kg to 8.53 kg and live up to 19.7 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.

Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres)
Photo: Gyps_coprotheres_-St_Augustine_Alligator_Farm,_St._Augustine,_Florida-8a.jpg… · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the cape vulture

Weight
7.86 kg – 8.53 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
2.56 msrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
19.7 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Scavengersrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
41.4 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
grasslandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
54.8 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
4 years – 4.74 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the cape vulture?

CAPE VULTURE · WINGSPAN 2.56 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 2.56 m, the recorded maximum wingspan of the cape vulture is about 1.5 times the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the cape vulture live?

Not recorded

What is the cape vulture?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres), also known as Cape griffon and Kolbe's vulture, is an Old World vulture in the family Accipitridae. It is endemic to southern Africa, and lives mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, and in some parts of northern Namibia. It nests on cliffs and lays one egg per year. In 2015, it had been classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, but was down-listed to Vulnerable in 2021 as some populations increased and have been stable since about 2016.

From the Wikipedia article “Cape vulture” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_vulture&oldid=1379696604), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the cape vulture endangered?

The cape vulture is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.

How is the cape vulture classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderAccipitriformes
  5. familyAccipitridae
  6. genusGyps
  7. SpeciesGyps coprotheres (J. R. Forster, 1798)

Synonyms Gypaetus fulvoris, Gyps fulvus coprotheres, Gyps kolbii, Vultur chassefiente, Vultur chaugoun, Vultur coprotheres, Vultur kolbii, Vultur vulgaris

Other names and names in other languages (51)
  • CAGREnglish
  • Cape griffonEnglish
  • Cape griffonEnglish
  • Kolbe's vultureEnglish
  • WitaasvoëlAfrikaans
  • Gewone AasvoëlAfrikaans
  • KransaasvoëlAfrikaans
  • نسر الرأسArabic
  • Афрыканскі ягнятнікBelarusian
  • Капски лешоядBulgarian
  • Gup ar C'habBreton
  • voltor del CapCatalan
  • sup kapskýCzech
  • fwltur y PenrhynWelsh
  • KapgribDanish
  • KapgeierGerman
  • FahlgeierGerman
  • Γύπας του ΑκρωτηρίουGreek
  • kaba vulturoEsperanto
  • Sudafrika gipoEsperanto
  • Buitre el CaboSpanish
  • Buitre de El CaboSpanish
  • hele-kaeluskotkasEstonian
  • دال دماغهPersian
  • kapinkorppikotkaFinnish
  • Vautour chassefienteFrench
  • נשר הכףHebrew
  • Kapski strvinarCroatian
  • fokföldi keselyűHungarian
  • Grifone del CapoItalian
  • ケープハゲワシJapanese
  • ケープシロエリハゲワシJapanese
  • kapinis grifasLithuanian
  • Shádiʼááhjí Naakaii Łizhiní Bikéyahdę́ę́ʼ jeeshóóʼNavajo
  • Kaapse GierDutch
  • kappgribbNorwegian
  • କେପ ଗ୍ରିଫନOdia
  • sęp przylądkowyPolish
  • کیپ گدھWestern Panjabi
  • grifo-do-caboPortuguese
  • Abutre-do-caboPortuguese
  • Капский сипRussian
  • Капский грифRussian
  • sup plavýSlovak
  • Kapski supSerbian
  • kapgamSwedish
  • Kap AkbabasıTurkish
  • сип капськийUkrainian
  • Гриф капськийUkrainian
  • 南非兀鷲Chinese
  • 南非兀鹫Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the cape vulture

Other species in the same genus Gyps.

CompareCape vulture vs Eurasian griffon vultureCape vulture vs Himalayan vultureCape vulture vs White-rumped vultureCape vulture vs Indian vulture

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the cape vulture?

An adult cape vulture weighs 7.86 kg – 8.53 kg and has a wingspan of 2.56 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the cape vulture endangered?

The cape vulture is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the cape vulture live?

The cape vulture has a recorded lifespan of 19.7 years.

What kind of animal is the cape vulture?

The cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres) belongs to the family Accipitridae in the order Accipitriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-vulture

MLA

“Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-vulture.

BibTeX
@misc{cape_vulture_2026,
  title = {Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-vulture},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}