Gyps fulvus
Silhouette: Birgit Lang · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. It is also known as the Eurasian griffon or griffon vulture, although the latter term is sometimes used for the genus Gyps as a whole.
The griffon vulture is 93–122 cm (37–48 in) long with a 2.3–2.8 m (7.5–9.2 ft) wingspan. In the nominate race the males weigh 6.2 to 10.5 kg (14 to 23 lb) and females typically weigh 6.5 to 10.5 kg (14 to 23 lb), while in the Indian subspecies (G. f. fulvescens), the vultures average 7.1 kg (16 lb). Extreme adult weights have been reported from 4.5 to 15 kg (9.9 to 33.1 lb), the latter likely a weight attained in captivity. Hatched naked, it is a typical Old World vulture in appearance, with a white head, broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff and yellow bill. The buff body and wing coverts contrast with the dark flight feathers.
The Eurasian griffon vulture is resident in parts of the Iberian Peninsula, in the eastern Atlas Mountains, the eastern Alps, parts of Anatolia and the Caucasus, parts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Iranian plateau, and in the Tian Shan and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 9 | Hohe Tauern National Park | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 10 | Ecrins National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 11 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 13 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 14 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 15 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 16 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 17 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 18 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 20 | Kaziranga National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 21 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 22 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Griffon Vulture sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 213 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 54th most-seen of the 153 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Griffon Vulture in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Griffon Vulture sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
13th of 22
Of the 22 parks where we can rate Griffon Vulture sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park ranks 13th at about 10%. The best odds are in Picos de Europa National Park (Spain, about 90%), Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park (Spain, about 80%) and Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 70%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Griffon Vulture that you can see in Sierra Nevada National Park (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Western Marsh-Harrier (about 30%), Booted Eagle (about 30%) and Golden Eagle (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Griffon Vulture is recorded against all the birds logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (213 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
