What does the White-backed Vulture eat?

The White-backed Vulture's diet shapes where and when you'll find it. Understanding what it eats helps you predict where to look.

Diet overview

Carnivore (obligate scavenger)

How it forages

An obligate scavenger, feeding almost exclusively on carrion. It is often among the first vultures to arrive at a carcass, using its keen eyesight to spot dead animals from high altitudes. They are highly social feeders, often congregating in large numbers, and their relatively weak beaks are adapted for tearing softer tissues and accessing internal organs once larger vultures or mammalian scavengers have opened the carcass.

When it feeds

Diurnal, active during daylight hours for foraging and soaring.

Explore the White-backed Vulture