By Sheetal Kumari | October 11, 2025
The Cinereous Vulture, or Black Vulture, is one of the largest and heaviest flying birds in the world.
(Image: Canva)
It has a wingspan of up to 3 metres and weighs between 9-14 kilograms, making it rule the skies with ease.
(Image: Canva)
It is covered in dark brown-black plumage, a light head, and a solid, hooked beak ideal for shredding hard carcasses.
(Image: Canva)
Widely distributed in Europe and Asia, they like to inhabit mountain forests, open steppes, and far-off backwoods for nesting and hunting.
(Image: Canva)
Being scavengers at heart, Cinereous Vultures subsist primarily on carcasses, serving a crucial purpose in clearing the environment.
(Image: Canva)
Although not scavengers, they possess good vision to detect carcasses from a distance, tending to feed in company with other scavengers.
(Image: Canva)
They construct massive stick nests on tall trees or cliffs, used for breeding pairs for many years.
(Image: Canva)
Tending to be mostly solitary or in pairs, occasionally they congregate at major food sources such as carcasses.
(Image: Canva)
Once threatened by poaching and poisoning, conservation has seen their numbers improve though they are still close to being threatened.
(Image: Canva)
The powerful Cinereous Vulture is a representation of power, resilience, and the crucial balance of nature’s ecosystem.
(Image: Canva)