Gyps fossil map
Where fossils of Gyps have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 11.63 million years ago to the present (Tortonian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Neogene, Quaternary |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Named by | Savigny 1809 |
| Fossil records | 13 occurrences at 10 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Greece, Azerbaijan, France, Portugal, Egypt, Spain, Italy |
| Rock formations | txn:39323, Pikermi |
About Gyps
Gyps is a genus of Old World vultures that was proposed by Marie Jules CĂ©sar Savigny in 1809. Its members are sometimes known as griffon vultures. Gyps vultures have a slim head, a long slender neck with downy feathers, and a ruff around the neck formed by long buoyant feathers. The crown of their big beaks is a little compressed, and their big dark nostrils are set transverse to the beak. They have six or seven wing feathers, of which the first is the shortest and the fourth the longest.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Gyps (revision 1380765690), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q126630.
