The bird that holds the world’s highest flying record is the Rüppell vulture (Gyps rueppellii), which can reach heights of up to 11,300 m.
In 1973, a Rüppell vulture crashed into a commercial airliner at an altitude of 11,300 m above the Ivory Coast in West Africa. Although one of the engines failed, the plane landed successfully. However, the bird was not so lucky. All that remained of it were five complete feathers and 15 incomplete feathers, enough to identify the animal and confirm the record, according to IFL Science.
Rüppell vultures are highly social and pair with one mate for life. Both father and mother birds participate in caring for the young during the first 150 days of life. Native to the Sahel region of Africa, spread between the Sahara desert and the Sundanese grasslands, the vulture’s habitat includes countries such as Zimbabwe, Senegal, and Ethiopia. Occasionally, they also appear in the Mediterranean region of Spain.
Those appearances may become rarer in the future because Rüppell’s vulture is listed as critically endangered in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Like many African birds, they are threatened by habitat loss, hunting and the decline of their only food source, carrion.
Rüppell vultures are also in big trouble due to poisoning, especially in East Africa, mainly by the pesticide carbofuran, but the international organization BirdLife International also emphasizes the role of the drug diclofenac. This anti-inflammatory drug can be used in veterinary treatment, but it can easily cause Rüppell vultures to die if they digest the carcasses of animals injected with the drug.
The Rüppell vulture is nearly one meter tall with a characteristic bald head. This adaptive trait stems from their tendency to burrow their entire head into their prey’s carcass when they eat. Even though they have a wingspan of more than 2 m, they rarely use their wings when flying. Even when not causing trouble for commercial pilots, Rüppell’s vultures often reach impressive heights, taking advantage of strong thermal currents as they fly over the ground and search for prey.
Other birds that may compete with the Rüppell vulture for the title include the white-necked crane (Gravel gravel), flying at 10,000 m while avoiding Himalayan eagles and Indian geese (Considers indicus) with a maximum altitude of 7,300 m and oversized lungs to overcome lack of oxygen.