Basic behavior:

- White-backed vultures are one of the more common scavengers in the Serengeti. They frequently can be seen either soaring on broad wings high in the sky in search of carrion or roosting in acacia trees. In terms of the avian scavenger pecking order, white-backs lie in the middle ground, above marabou storks, but below the larger and more aggressive lappet-faced vultures. White-backs will wait for larger avian or mammalian predators to tear open a carcass, as their beaks are not strong enough to break through tough hide and skin. White-backed vultures are diurnal raptors and will roost in acacia trees during the night. After gorging themselves till full, vultures will often roost in trees with their wings out and backs facing the sun and start looking at kills that were done during the night and will also try to look for water sources to bath and clean themselves from all the blood from a carcass.

- White-backed vultures are not incredibly gregarious, and will usually search for food on their own and won't protect each other on carcass scenes. They often congregate in acacia trees to roost, though. The vultures will also usually feed in large groups at carcasses. White-backs often use other individuals or other vultures or scavenger species to locate carcasses, such as jackals and hyenas. Once located the vultures will start descending from their high altitude flight in a circle to safely land, once landed the vultures quickly get close to a carcass and assuring themselves there is no other predator in the area (although if the scene is already with vultures and scavengers they won't be so cautious). Squabbles can (and often do) break out over favorable spots on the carcass, especially if the carcass has fewer openings to feed on.

-White-backed vultures form pairs to take care of eggs and chicks. They will build large nests in large acacia trees, near the very topmost of the time. Most trees will only support one or two nests, but on very rare occasions, a single large acacia tree may support up to eight nests. White-backed vultures do not mate for life, and the pair splits after the chicks have become independent.

- White-backed vultures are not hunted mainly because of bad-smelling bodies and horrible meat constitution to their diet. Though they will be killed by predators or be attacked by other scavengers if they are not careful. Felines are especially pronto this behavior charging a flock of vultures and pouncing the slowest vulture which may lead to injuries or even death, this has caused white backs to fear the felines and will never try to feed at the same time, however, hyenas are much safer predators which may allow vultures to feed at the same time if there isn't too many of them or too many hyenas. When chased by those large carnivores the vultures will fly or jump but quickly regain their initial position nearby the carcass.

- Competition for white backs is mainly on the carcass and nowhere else. The bigger the better, Lappet-faced vultures and jackals are the biggest issue for white-backs and will generally back away if one decides to remove some white backs from a particular spot on the carcass, though some bold individuals do try to fight them but generally back off after a few hits. Due to their similar sizes, Ruppell's usually feeding with white backs with no issues but the larger rappels may decide to remove some white backs individually. Marabou storks are generally not an issue but on to a one-to-one fight, the Marabou will win, and generally, no species engages with the other unless one invades the other's space on a carcass in which a few pecks will settle the fight.

- White-backed vultures don’t associate with other birds or animals much. If approached they will most often move away, or take flight if sufficiently scared. They will never antagonize something bigger than them, and will only fight back against a much larger attacker as a last resort if they can’t get away.