Griffon vulture is, due to its size and behaviour, one of the most spectacular birds flying over the region. You can easily observe big groups of this specie flying in circles in search of food or in the carrion bird feeding point in the town of Cortes de la Frontera.

Its scientific name is Gyps fulvus, although it is commonly known as griffon vulture due to its similarity to the mythological animal. The griffon vulture is one of the biggest birds in the world with approximately 280cm wingspan and a weigh up to 8kg for an adult specimen. They live in colonies and nest amid the high crags. These security measures are taken to protect the only egg laid from other predators and it also helps them to undertake the fl ight, something quite diffi cult for such a big bird.

Vultures have a really good sense of smell but it is mainly thanks to their highly developed sense of sight that they successfully fi nd carcasses in their daily flights, going as far as 90 kilometres away from their nest.

They are scavengers, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals. When they find them, they soar in circle to the place where the carrion is, making sure there is no danger around and that they can gain height once finished. In the 60s, the control of certain “vermin” species brought the griffon vulture to the brink of extinction. Nowadays, more than 300 reproductive pairs are found in the Serranîa de Ronda.