Cinereous vulture
Scientific name: Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)
Overview
The cinereous vulture, also known as the black vulture, Eurasian black vulture, and monk vulture, is a very large raptor in the family Accipitridae distributed through much of temperate Eurasia. With a body length of 1.2 m, 3.1 m (10 ft) across the wings and a maximum weight of 12.5 kg (28 lb), it is the largest Old World vulture and largest member of the family Accipitridae.
From the Wikipedia article “Cinereous vulture”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Near threatened on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 243 g |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China); Southern Asia.
Common names
Also known in English as Black Vulture, Eurasian Black Vulture.
Names in other languages (11)
- Arabic
- نسر أسود أوراسي
- Chinese
- 禿鷲, 秃鹫
- French
- Vautour moine
- German
- Mönchsgeier
- Indonesian
- Hering Hitam Eurasia
- Japanese
- クロハゲワシ
- Persian
- دال سیاه
- Portuguese
- abutre-preto
- Russian
- Чёрный гриф
- Spanish
- Buitre negro
- Turkish
- Kara akbaba
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q168677, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Cinereous vulture”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Ghasem bavi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — SanoAK: Alexander Kürthy, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026