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Discoveries First record of European Griffon Gyps fulvus for Kenya William S. Clark LeVautourfauve Gypsfulvusestun hivernantlocaldanslenorddeFAfriquesub-Saharienne, du Senegal au Soudan central et le nord de LEthiopie. Le 20 janvier 2000, un groupe d’observateurs, parmi lesquels l auteur. a observe et photographie un Vautour fauve dans le Parc National d’Amboseli. dans le sud-est du Kenya. Loiseau etait en train de se nourrir d un cadavre d elephant en compagnie d'autres vautours. Ceci constitue la premiere observation pour le Kenya. European Griffon Gypsfulvus is a local winter tures had some tawny on their upperparts, presum- visitor across northern sub-Saharan Africa, east ablyduetosoilstaining(asinLammergeierGypaetus from Senegal to central Sudan and north Ethiopia1. barbatus), but their upperwing-coverts were not There are no previous records in Kenya2. uniformly tawny, and they showed evidence of On20January2000,aRaptoursgroupandmyself moult inthesecondaries.JuvenileRtippell’sVultures foundaEuropeanGriffon inAmboseliNationalPark, areoveralldarker,lackinganytawnycoloration.This south-east Kenya. We hadstopped in theearlyafter- individualwasajuvenileEuropeanGriffon;J.Schmitt noon at an elephant carcasson which therewereas confirmed the identification after studying the many as a dozen Spotted Hyenas Crocuta crocuta photographs, and the record has been accepted by and more than 100 vultures, most of which were the East African Ornithological Society Rarities White-backedGypsafricanusandRuppell’sVultures Committee. G. rueppellii, withsixormore Lappet-facedVultures Mundy et aP cite references that hundreds of Torgos tracheliotos. EuropeanGriffonenterNorthAfricaatGibraltar,with While observing the squabbling of the vultures smaller numbers passing through Israel and Egypt, and hyenas, and the regular arrival ofyet more vul- yet located few records of these migrants further turesatthecarcass,Inoticedarathertawnycoloured south in Africa. Theirwhereabouts in winterremain vultureglidingin.Ialertedtheotherstoitandconcen- unknown. rf> trated for over 20 minutes on noting its plumage, comparingittothoseoftheothervultures,andtaking References several photographs(Plates 1-3). This vulture had a 1. Mundy, P., Butchart, D., Ledger,J. &Piper, S. 1992. tawny back and upperparts, with some dark on the The Vultures ofAfrica. London, UK: Academic btraowandybsucfafpyulsatrrse.akIitsngu.ndItesrbpiallrtwsawsedraerkalbsuotmwfiothusawpiatlhe 2. PZ1r9ie9ms6sm..eBrimradns,ofKD.eAn.y,aTaunrndenrorDt.hAe.rn&TaPnezaarnsioan.,LDo.nJ-. lineontheculmen. Itwasjudgedtobe ajuvenileby don, UK: A. & C. Black. the long, lanceolate tawny-bufffeathers and lack of moult in the secondaries, all of which had pointed P. O. Box 1191, Annandale, VA22003 USA. tips.ItwasthesamesizeasthemanynearbyRuppell’s VulturesandnoticeablylargerthantheWhite-backed Vultures. Afewoftheolderimmature Ruppell’sVul- Discoveries BullABC Vol8No 1 -59