Rüppell's Griffon

The Rüppell's Griffon is one of the most sought-after species to track on an African safari, and knowing its habits turns a hopeful search into a confident one. This field guide breaks down how to recognise the Rüppell's Griffon at a glance, the habitats and times of day that reward patient searching, and the practical tracking craft guides rely on. Read it before you set out and you will spend less time scanning empty bush and more time watching the animal itself.

Dark brown feathers with pale cream edges create a distinctive scaled, spotted pattern; the head and neck are covered in whitish down; large and powerful with a heavy bill

Concentrate your search for the Rüppell's Griffon in Open savanna, grassland and mountainous areas with cliffs for nesting, the habitat where it feels most secure and finds its food. It is most active Diurnal, soaring to great heights on thermals by day and searching for carcasses for hours, so plan your game drives around those hours rather than the heat of midday. Across the continent the species ranges through Found across the Sahel and East Africa; commonly seen soaring over the plains of Kenya, Tanzania and neighbouring countries, and within that range the richest sightings come where prime habitat meets low human disturbance.

Finding the Rüppell's Griffon starts long before you see it. Learn the habitat it depends on — Open savanna, grassland and mountainous areas with cliffs for nesting — and you narrow the search from an entire landscape to a handful of promising corners. Animals are not scattered at random; they sit where food, water, cover and safety overlap, and the Rüppell's Griffon is no exception.