What species of Vulture is this?

So I made this image and an accompanying page for it, but while doing so I found it kind of hard trying to identify the species of vulture this is, at first I thought it was a griffon vulture, but it's head and legs are red, then I thought red headed vulture, but besides a red head it doesn't match up to one, any thoughts?

A very nice model

I am no expert in identifying species, but it is my experience that we often should look more at sculpt than paintwork when identifying a model.

My theory is that the person who made the model often has a good idea what animal he/she is making, while the ones who decide the colours may just be marketing persons

SUSANNE wrote:

A very nice model

I am no expert in identifying species, but it is my experience that we often should look more at sculpt than paintwork when identifying a model.

My theory is that the person who made the model often has a good idea what animal he/she is making, while the ones who decide the colours may just be marketing persons

Here's an up close shot if that helps.

This is a character from a videogame, isn't it? Usually these figures are designed with a lot of pop culture in the way they are conceived. The use of the red just helps giving a more bloody look to the animal. The bird seems clearly inspired in a vulture from the Gyps genus and yes, they are known as griffon vultures although this name is used to identify specifically the (Gyps fulvus), however, I believe this model found inspiration in the sub-saharan species. Jumanji seems to be a North American creation, so maybe they also found a little inspiration on turkey vultures but obviously it is not one.
I think the only way is to put it as a unidentified species on the Accipitriformes page, unless someone find a good species match to it.

I'd agree with Roger!

Roger wrote:

This is a character from a videogame, isn't it? Usually these figures are designed with a lot of pop culture in the way they are conceived. The use of the red just helps giving a more bloody look to the animal. The bird seems clearly inspired in a vulture from the Gyps genus and yes, they are known as griffon vultures although this name is used to identify specifically the (Gyps fulvus), however, I believe this model found inspiration in the sub-saharan species. Jumanji seems to be a North American creation, so maybe they also found a little inspiration on turkey vultures but obviously it is not one.
I think the only way is to put it as a unidentified species on the Accipitriformes page, unless someone find a good species match to it.

Correction, Jumanji is a movie that takes place in a video game, not a video game, I haven't seen the movie though.

Yes, clearly is a "generic" vulture that matches perfectly with the idea of a vulture that have those that don't know that exists various species of vultures. A big bird with dark plumage, white ruffed collar and bare pink skin on head and neck. That's always the concept of "vulture" in movies, comics and why not, video games. And while it matches perfectly with the western society concept of "vulture", it don't matches with any species actually. Shaped like a griffon, but with unfeathered head and neck like a lappet-faced, and the wings matches more with a turkey vulture in colour. It's just a mix of several species and I think in TAI it should be put as "unassigned species".

Pardofelis wrote:

Yes, clearly is a "generic" vulture that matches perfectly with the idea of a vulture that have those that don't know that exists various species of vultures. A big bird with dark plumage, white ruffed collar and bare pink skin on head and neck. That's always the concept of "vulture" in movies, comics and why not, video games. And while it matches perfectly with the western society concept of "vulture", it don't  matches with any species actually. Shaped like a griffon, but with unfeathered head and neck like a lappet-faced, and the wings matches more with a turkey vulture in colour. It's just a mix of several species and I think in TAI it should be put as "unassigned species".

Well this entire time it has been listed as unassigned, I was just asking to see if it could be moved out of that category.

What made you become a member on STS @Titaniumspyborgbear, as I know you do edit the TAI

Advicot wrote:

What made you become a member on STS @Titaniumspyborgbear, as I know you do edit the TAI

Well I became a member because I used to just talk to Tim, but he told me I should probably discuss my planet of the apes Orangutan figure on here, so that's why I joined.

Roger wrote:

...The bird seems clearly inspired in a vulture from the Gyps genus and yes, they are known as griffon vultures although this name is used to identify specifically the (Gyps fulvus)...
I think the only way is to put it as a unidentified species on the Accipitriformes page, unless someone find a good species match to it.

According to North American authorities, “Griffon” is used for a few (but not all) individual members of this genus as well as the group as a whole, so “Eurasian Griffon” for Gyps fulvus (not simply “Griffon Vulture”), “Rüppell’s Griffon” for Gyps rueppelli, “Himalayan Griffon” for Gyps himalayensis, and so on. So, not only is the genus known as griffon vultures collectively, several species are known as “griffon( vulture)s”

In my opinion, the figure is not a Red-headed Vulture, because of the light neck ruff. White-rumped Vulture seems like the best fit. These have the correct neck ruff, a slightly reddish head, and are overall quite dark in color. The underwing pattern doesn’t match, though, and there is no white rump. the figure comes from an intellectual property, and artistic license is expected. It is found in India, but this doesn’t matter as much because it does not compromise the look of the figure, but once again, there are plenty of inaccuracies when it comes to works of fiction. It is probably not intended to be a specific species of vulture.

Pardofelis wrote:

Yes, clearly is a "generic" vulture that matches perfectly with the idea of a vulture that have those that don't know that exists various species of vultures. A big bird with dark plumage, white ruffed collar and bare pink skin on head and neck. That's always the concept of "vulture" in movies, comics and why not, video games. And while it matches perfectly with the western society concept of "vulture", it don't  matches with any species actually. Shaped like a griffon, but with unfeathered head and neck like a lappet-faced, and the wings matches more with a turkey vulture in colour. It's just a mix of several species and I think in TAI it should be put as "unassigned species".

I just might agree. This looks like the generic idea that people have of “vultures”. Just as you said: a light neck ruff, a pink head, black to very dark brown plumage, and the overall shape of a Gyps sp. These are things that are associated with the generic “vulture”. Most people of course don’t know the different species of vultures from around the world. The Club Earth vulture, on the other hand, can be identified as a Lappet-faced. It has a brown plumage, a pink head with a bit of blue tint, a dark brown neck ruff, and a horn-colored bill. So change the species of the Club Earth vulture from “Turkey Vulture” to “Lappet-faced Vulture”.