The Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is named after an old French word grifon, meaning bird of prey. The genus name is from Ancient Greek gups meaning curved, hooked nose. It is not to be confused with a different species, Rüppell's griffon vulture (Gyps rueppellii). It is closely related to the white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus). The Griffon Vulture is the most social of Europe’s four vulture species, feeding in groups and roosting and breeding in large colonies that can host hundreds of individuals. This large short tailed vulture has excellent eyesight and in flight can spot an animal carcass from around five kilometres. Griffon Vultures inhabit mountainous and open areas across southern Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. They prefer regions with steep cliffs for nesting and open landscapes for foraging. These birds are particularly common in Spain, which hosts a significant portion of the European population.
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