18th century illustration of a lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotos), an Old World vulture belonging to the order Accipitriformes, which also includes eagles, kites, buzzards and hawks. It is the only member of the genus Torgos. It is not closely related to the superficially similar New World vultures, and does not share the good sense of smell of some members of that group. From Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux d'Afrique (Natural History of Birds of Africa) by Franeois Le Vaillant (1753-1824), published in Paris, France in 1799. |