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| WHAT DO GRIFFONS EAT? |
| Griffons are scavengers that eat exclusively carrion, dead animals. Therefore they have very important roles as cleaners of the environment protecting from spreading of contagious diseases and epidemics. |
| DO GRIFFONS ATTACK LIVE PREY? |
| No, griffons are not predators, they are scavengers and they will NEVER attack a live animal. They can only attack in self-defence or defence of their young. There is only one kind of griffon, which are predators – the Great Vulture (torgos traheliotus) Lappet-faced Vultures or African Vulture. |
| HOW MANY GRIFFONS LIVE IN CROATIA? |
| After the poisoning of many griffons on the island of Rab in December 2004, we estimate the population in Croatia at 85 pairs, of which 70 of them nest annually and the number of young that successfully leave the nest doesn’t surpass 50 per year. |
| ARE THERE ANY OTHER VULTURES IN CROATIA? |
| No, in the middle of 20th century three species of vultures died out, Breaded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) and Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus). |
| WHERE DO THE GRIFFONS NEST? |
| 100 years ago the griffons lived throughout all Croatian territories, including Posavina (area around the River Sava) and Podunavlje, the area around the River Danube and along the whole of the Adriatic coast, on the island of Cres, Krk, Plavnika dn Prvić. Until 2000 they lived in the National Park Paklenica, but because of neglect and inadequate protection they died out the same as the last pair of Egyptian Vultures, which nested in the park until 1987. Griffons throughout the world nest on high steep mountain cliffs, and river canyons, BUT on Cres and the other islands of Kvarner they nest on the cliffs above the sea, which is a unique phenomenon. |
| HOW BIG ARE THE GRIFFONS? |
The griffons can weigh up to 14kg, and their wingspan can reach 2.8m |
| HOW LONG CAN GRIFFONS LIVE? |
If they survive the first 5 years they can live a very long time between 20-30 years. There is sometime data, which shows that the griffons in captivity can live for even 55 years. |
| HOW FAST DO THE GRIFFONS FLY? |
They can fly up to 160 km/h. Most often when they search for food they fly 40-75 kmh. During their flight they don’t use muscles, they only glide. |
| CAN GRIFFONS SMELL THEIR FOOD? |
No, vultures of the Old World have not developed the sense of smell. Some American species that live in the rain forests can detect their prey by smell. |
| DO THE GRIFFONS CLEAN THEMSELVES ? |
Yes, griffons regularly keep their personal hygiene, washing themselves immediately after eating. |
| DO THE GRIFFONS KNOW HOW TO SWIM? |
The griffons are very quickly disappearing from the island of Cres because of the disturbance of their nesting grounds. Tourist boats scare the young in the nests, and then as they still don’t know how to fly they fall in to the sea and drown. The griffons do not know how to swim, and after half an hour their feathers become sodden and they drown. Sometimes the sea will wash them up on the beach, but without help they will die there, starving and exhausted, because they cannot take flight. |
| HOW MANY YOUNG GRIFFONS ARE THERE PER YEAR? |
Griffons are large birds, one of the largest flying birds, and because of their slow metabolism and slow ossification, young during their growth need a lot of food. For the same reason the incubation of an egg lasts almost 2 months and the young grows for 4 months in the nest and both the parents need to feed them. In order to succeed in this process, griffons lay eggs only once a year. And if in autumn they don’t find enough food the following year they will not lay any eggs. |
| WHERE DO THE GRIFFONS MIGRATE? |
During the long-term programme of wing tagging and ringing about 500 young griffons were marked and hundreds of data of their movements were collected. The young griffons, after leaving the nest start their perennial roaming and they have been seen in: Slovenia, Austria, Italy, Germany, France, Spain, Poland, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Turkey, Greece, Israel, and in 4,000km away in Chad. After 5 year’s of adolescent wandering, the griffons come back and establish a family, staying permanently in Kvarner Bay. |
| HOW DO WE DETECT THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE SEXES OF GRIFFONS? |
It’s not possible, male and female are almost the same and from their external appearance it can’t be seen. The only differences that can be recognised are the colour of the feathers, the collar, beak and eyes, which show the difference in the age of a griffon because they are changing during the life of a griffon.
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