CreatureData

Palm-nut vulture

Gypohierax angolensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

LCLeast Concernbirds of prey

The palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis) is a species in the family Accipitridae, order Accipitriformes. Recorded adults weigh 1.51 kg to 1.71 kg and live up to 27.1 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)
Photo: Schristia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the palm-nut vulture

Weight
1.51 kg – 1.71 kgsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
1.49 msrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
27.1 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Frugivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
44 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
3.98 yearssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the palm-nut vulture?

PALM-NUT VULTURE · WINGSPAN 1.49 MADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 1.49 m, the recorded maximum wingspan of the palm-nut vulture is close to the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Photos of the palm-nut vulture

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

Palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)
Didier Descouens · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Where does the palm-nut vulture live?

Not recorded

What is the palm-nut vulture?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

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.

From the Wikipedia article “Palm-nut vulture” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Palm-nut_vulture&oldid=1380975482), 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 palm-nut vulture endangered?

The palm-nut vulture is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  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 Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the palm-nut vulture classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderAccipitriformes
  5. familyAccipitridae
  6. genusGypohierax
  7. SpeciesGypohierax angolensis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)

Synonyms Falco angolensis, Polyborus hypoleucus

Other names and names in other languages (40)
  • Palmnut vultureEnglish
  • PNVUEnglish
  • Vulturine fish eagleEnglish
  • WitaasvoëlAfrikaans
  • PeteAkan
  • نسر جوز النخيلArabic
  • نسر السمك العقابيArabic
  • voltor de palmerarCatalan
  • orlosup palmovýCzech
  • gwalch-fwlturWelsh
  • PalmegribDanish
  • PalmgeierGerman
  • olepalma vulturoEsperanto
  • Buitre palmeroSpanish
  • palmikotkasEstonian
  • palmukorppikotkaFinnish
  • Vautour palmisteFrench
  • Palmiste africainFrench
  • Palmiste d'AfriqueFrench
  • crkavica palmašicaCroatian
  • pálmakeselyűHungarian
  • Avvoltoio delle palmeItalian
  • ヤシハゲワシJapanese
  • 야자민목독수리Korean
  • palminis grifasLithuanian
  • PalmgierDutch
  • GierarendDutch
  • palmegribbNorwegian
  • palmojadPolish
  • Abutre-do-coconotePortuguese
  • abutre-das-palmeirasPortuguese
  • Пальмовый грифRussian
  • orlosup strakatýSlovak
  • Palmin lešinarSerbian
  • palmgamSwedish
  • แร้งปาล์มนัตThai
  • Palmiye AkbabasıTurkish
  • гриф пальмовийUkrainian
  • 棕榈鹫Chinese
  • 棕櫚鷲Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List

Relatives of the palm-nut vulture

Other species in the same family Accipitridae.

LC, Least Concern
Black kite (Milvus migrans)

Black kite

Milvus migrans

Accipitridae

ComparePalm-nut vulture vs Golden eaglePalm-nut vulture vs Eurasian sparrowhawkPalm-nut vulture vs Eurasian goshawkPalm-nut vulture vs Black kite

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the palm-nut vulture?

An adult palm-nut vulture weighs 1.51 kg – 1.71 kg and has a wingspan of 1.49 m, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the palm-nut vulture endangered?

The palm-nut vulture is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the palm-nut vulture live?

The palm-nut vulture has a recorded lifespan of 27.1 years.

What kind of animal is the palm-nut vulture?

The palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis) 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). Palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/palm-nut-vulture

MLA

“Palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/palm-nut-vulture.

BibTeX
@misc{palm_nut_vulture_2026,
  title = {Palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/palm-nut-vulture},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}