After our luxurious “glamping” experience, Ed, John, Grace, and I traded canvas tents and gourmet meals for our next adventure: tracking vultures.

Yes, vultures.

Not exactly the animal most people put at the top of their African safari wish list.

Our guide for this portion of the trip was Rebecca Bishop. Around Gorongosa National Park, everyone knows her simply as “The Vulture Lady.” She was joined by Greg Kaltenecker, a professor at Boise State University and director of the Intermountain Bird Observatory. Both are genuinely excited about all things with feathers.

Rebecca earned her master’s degree studying Gorongosa vultures under Greg’s mentorship and now has a research grant from the UAE to continue her work in Mozambique. We were fortunate to tag along because John had purchased a four-day vulture research trip for two at an Intermountain Bird Observatory fundraiser. Ed and I essentially came as enthusiastic sidekicks.

We also downgraded our accommodations from “glamping chic” to “government research station adjacent.” Let’s just say nobody was posting photos of the rooms on Instagram.

Vultures may not win beauty contests, but they are among Africa’s most important sanitation workers. By consuming carcasses quickly, they help prevent the spread of diseases that affect both wildlife and people.

The True Pecking Order

One of the most fascinating lessons involved vulture hierarchy.

Early in our visit we watched dozens of vultures gathered around a dead Cape Buffalo. They appeared agitated, hopping up and down and jostling for position. This 20-second clip captures the experience better than any photograph could.

At first it looked like complete chaos.

In reality, they were waiting for the VIP.

The birds couldn’t start feeding until a Lappet-faced Vulture arrived. With its much larger and stronger beak, the Lappet-faced Vulture is one of the few species capable of tearing through the buffalo’s thick hide.

Think of it as the designated can opener of the vulture world.

Once the carcass was opened, the feeding frenzy could begin.

A Passion for Vultures

Rebecca is studying two critically endangered species in Gorongosa National Park: White-backed Vultures and White-headed Vultures. (The White-backed population outnumbers the White-headed birds by roughly ten to one.)

If there is such a thing as being completely in your element, Rebecca was it.

Every morning she loaded up her gear, drove us deep into the park, located nesting sites, and launched a drone to inspect nests hidden high above the ground.

She carefully assembled the drone and set it on a launchpad.

Then she expertly guided it above the tree canopy while the rest of us stood below pretending we understood what we were looking at.

The drone provided an up-close view of nests that would otherwise require climbing some very unfriendly trees.

Meanwhile, the fan club below was fully invested in the operation.

Rebecca meticulously recorded the condition of each nest, documenting occupancy, activity, and any signs of breeding. Fortunately, vultures are creatures of habit and often return to the same nesting tree year after year.

It was still a bit early for eggs, but many birds were already preparing their nests for the upcoming breeding season. We learned that White-backed Vultures typically nest in Borassus palm trees, while White-headed Vultures prefer baobab trees.

Who knew vultures had real estate preferences?

Both species lay just one egg per year. After an incubation period of roughly 55-56  days, parents care for the chick for another 110-130 days before it becomes independent.

One egg. One chick. One chance.

No wonder Rebecca worries about every nest.

This summer she will spend eight weeks in the park conducting field research. Since she has worked in Gorongosa for several years, she has developed strong relationships with many of the rangers and staff. She has even learned Portuguese and is typically accompanied by an armed ranger to make sure there are no unplanned encounters with lions or elephants.

Vultures: The Most Misunderstood Birds in Africa

Before the trip, I asked Rebecca for a book recommendation so I could sound moderately informed.

The book taught me something surprising:

Vultures may be the most misunderstood birds on the planet.

• They don’t kill animals.
• They clean up animals that are already dead.
• They’re not destructive.
• They’re one of nature’s most efficient sanitation crews.

And those bald heads? They’re not ugly. They’re brilliantly designed. If your job involves sticking your head inside a carcass, feathers would be a terrible idea.

Sadly, vultures are declining throughout Africa.

One reason is that poachers often target them because vultures can detect a dead animal within minutes and quickly begin circling overhead—essentially advertising the location of illegal poaching activity to rangers. To prevent further broadcast of the event transpiring on land below the circling vultures, poachers lace the carcass with poison. Once the vultures come down to feed, the poison acts quickly and hundreds of vultures may die in a singular poaching event. 

While poisoning is the leading cause of decline for African vultures, use in traditional belief systems, habitat loss, and collision with power lines are also contributors. 

Rebecca describes vultures as the “canary in the coal mine” for the ecosystem. When vulture populations decline, it’s often an early warning sign that larger environmental problems are brewing.

Down to the Bones

Earlier one day, Greg and Rebecca had observed about 30 vultures descending on a dead warthog.

Fifteen minutes later, the warthog had effectively ceased to exist.

Naturally, we had to investigate.

When we arrived at the scene later that afternoon, all that remained was a collection of remarkably clean bones. Greg and Rebecca hopped out of the vehicle to admire the handiwork like art critics evaluating a masterpiece.

Apparently, the vultures would return later for the bones themselves after they had dried out a bit.

Waste not, want not.

Twister, But With Vultures

Watching Rebecca work reminded us of Helen Hunt in Twister.

She was constantly scanning the horizon through binoculars, looking for circling birds that might indicate a fresh carcass somewhere in the distance.

The moment she spotted activity, she’d point the vehicle toward the action and head cross-country.

Off-road.

Immediately.

No hesitation.

The rest of us would simply hang on.

On our final day, her persistence paid off and we witnessed vultures feeding on a fresh carcass. This 6 -second clip shows the vulture feeding frenzy.

This gathering included both White-backed and White-headed Vultures.

Fortunately, there was plenty of food to go around.

For the vultures, anyway.

Building the Next Generation

One of the most impressive aspects of Rebecca’s work is her commitment to “capacity building”—helping local conservationists continue the work long after she leaves. She has trained a local scientist, Diolinda Mundoza, to monitor nests and collect data throughout the year. Diolinda will continue entering information into the database, creating a long-term record of vulture populations in the park.

Rebecca is also passionate about education and has developed materials for local eco-clubs so children and teens can learn about the important role vultures play in the ecosystem.

Thorough Vulture Research

Rebecca is conducting some of the first comprehensive vulture breeding research ever done in Mozambique. The kind of counting and monitoring she is doing for vultures today was done for many large mammals decades ago.

Her work is important, groundbreaking, and, judging by the affection shown by the local staff, deeply appreciated.

Now we understand why the rangers have given her a nickname: The Vulture Lady. And after spending four days with her, we mean that as the highest possible compliment.

What an Experience

Our four days with Greg and Rebecca gave us a completely different perspective on safari travel.

Most visitors come to Gorongosa hoping to see lions, elephants, and warthogs.  We talked about them in our previous post. But we came away talking about vultures. And we made new friends.

Beauty comes in many forms. Sometimes it wears magnificent feathers. Sometimes it cleans up the mess the rest of nature leaves behind.