30 Dec 2021

Himalayan griffons (Gyps himalayensis) returned to Singapore

by | posted in: Aegypius monachus, birds, cinereous vulture, Gyps himalayensis | 0

In a BESGroup post on 11 October 2021, the author had mused about the return of the Himalayan griffons to Singapore. Read this post. The griffons returned in December 2021 and the following photo gallery shows the huge birds in different poses and a sample of their adventures at Singapore Botanic Gardens. Captions of  photographs in bold letterings belong to the photographers.

Photo 1 by Andy Chew. A hilarious take by the photographer of this mug shot. This Himalayan Griffon Vulture asked me to take a passport photo so that it can renew its passport. Some of the requirements are: cannot smile; must wear a collared top; background must be white; and look smart.

 

Photo 2 by Dean Tan. Eyes on me.
Photo 3 by Trevor Teo. The majestic Himalayan Griffon Vulture shot at Singapore Botanic Gardens on 29th Dec 2021.
Photo 4 by Jonathan Kuah. Himalayan Vulture – No high mountain can be found in Singapore, but when this guy and his companions showed up, it attracted people.
Photo 5 by Sangmen Wong. Himalayan Griffon Vulture @ Singapore Botanic Gardens 30/12/2021
Photo 6 by Lai Yeu Huan. What a Massive Magnificent Monster! Himalayan Griffon Vulture Singapore Botanic Gardens, Dec 2021
Photo 7 by Trevor Teo. I never really got the ‘iron claw’ shot of the Grey Headed Fish Eagle so was quite happy when I got it trying to attack the Himalayan Griffon!! Check out the size difference!!! Shot at Learning Forest Bridge on 29th Dec 2021.
Photo 8 by Andy Chew. The Himalayan griffon is so heavy that some of the branches it stood on could not take its weight and this poor fella fell off the tree. Blur shot because of wrong settings. Did you know that the weight of a Himalayan griffon can range from as little as 6 kg (13 lb) to as much as 12.5 kg (28 lb)?
Photo 9 by Shahrul Kamal. 4 lighter ones are the Himalayan griffons and the dark one (2nd from bottom) is the cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus). Learning forest December 2021
Photo 10 by Norhafiani A Majid. A small window to capture the cinereous vulture and Himalayan griffons.

Will be interesting to feature some photographs of the Himalayan griffons  and cinereous vulture feeding. Where do these birds roost?

This post is a cooperative effort between Birds, Insects N Creatures Of Asia and BESG to bring the study of birds and their behaviour through photography and videography to a wider audience.

 

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