Egyptian Vulture Neophron Percnopterus Research Articles

Significant population of Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus found in Morocco

The Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus population in Morocco has undergone a marked decline since the 1980s to the point of nearing local extinction in the twenty-first century. A field study of some possible sites for Egyptian Vultures was carried out over six days during June 2014 in the Middle Atlas Mountains, Morocco. We counted a total of 48 Egyptian Vultures at three different localities: two occupied breeding sites and one communal roost that hosted 40 vultures of different ages. A (probable) singe adult bird at the breeding site was located and a previously occupied site was also visited. A preliminary survey amongst local people indicated that threats faced by this species are predator poisoning in some areas, and the use of vulture parts for traditional medicine. Given that the species is considered globally Endangered and populations continue to decline in many areas, the discovered population reported here, although relatively small, is of national and regional (North-west Africa) importance. We expect this new situation will revive the hopes for studying and conserving this and other vulture species in Morocco and North-west Africa in general.

Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) Uses Stone-Throwing to Break into a Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) Egg

Egyptian Vulture (<i>Neophron percnopterus</i>) Uses Stone-Throwing to Break into a Griffon Vulture (<i>Gyps fulvus</i>) Egg

Optimization of supplementary feeding programs for European vultures depends on environmental and management factors

Despite the consensus among ecologists and conservationists of the importance of maintaining scavenger feeding patterns based primarily on natural prey sources, human‐mediated feeding remains a widely used management tool for threatened wildlife. Thus, it is important to understand the key factors favoring certain species and age‐groups at supplementary feeding sites. Through a detailed videomonitored experiment of carrion inputs at different locations in the Iberian Peninsula (home of &gt;90% of European vultures), we assessed how variables related to weather, time, demography, management and alternative food availability influenced the occurrence patterns of different age‐classes of vultures at feeding sites. The most threatened and less gregarious species (bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus and Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus) attended to earlier inputs, thus reducing interspecific competition with the Eurasian griffon vulture Gyps fulvus. The bearded vulture was favored by a larger biomass supply at the feeding sites during the chick‐rearing period, while the Egyptian vulture preferred frequent and abundant inputs. Non‐adult cinereous vultures Aegypius monachus were favored at times of lower abundance of natural resources and in the densest networks of feeding sites, while adults preferentially attended sites with periodic inputs close to breeding colonies in areas with lower availability of other natural prey. Finally, the Eurasian griffon vulture showed a preference for continued and periodic inputs, and for feeding sites with numerous other feeding sites in the surroundings. Our results help to inform the management of supplementing food provision with the aim of enhancing its value to reverse the unfavorable conservation status of endangered species and to mitigate the negative effects of the current global threats impacting them.

Temporally unpredictable supplementary feeding may benefit endangered scavengers

The monitoring of an experimental feeding station established in northern Spain allowed the evaluation of how this type of resource, predictable in space but not in time, was exploited by a guild of avian scavengers in relation to factors such as season, hour of disposal and presence of the dominant species. The presence of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus at carcasses was more likely during spring, and richness and diversity of avian scavengers was lower during the summer and when Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus arrived earlier. The temporal unpredictability of the resource may favour exploitation by smaller and less competitive scavengers. New European regulations may present an opportunity to develop effective conservation measures to support functional scavenger assemblages.

High juvenile mortality during migration in a declining population of a long‐distance migratory raptor

Many populations of long‐distance migrants are declining and there is increasing evidence that declines may be caused by factors operating outside the breeding season. Among the four vulture species breeding in the western Palaearctic, the species showing the steepest population decline, the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, is a long‐distance migrant wintering in Africa. However, the flyways and wintering areas of the species are only known for some populations, and without knowledge of where mortality occurs, effective conservation management is not possible. We tracked 19 juvenile Egyptian Vultures from the declining breeding population on the Balkan Peninsula between 2010 and 2014 to estimate survival and identify important migratory routes and wintering areas for this species. Mortality during the first autumn migration was high (monthly survival probability 0.75) but mortality during migration was exclusively associated with suboptimal navigation. All birds from western breeding areas and three birds from central and eastern breeding areas attempted to fly south over the Mediterranean Sea, but only one in 10 birds survived this route, probably due to stronger tailwind. All eight birds using the migratory route via Turkey and the Middle East successfully completed their first autumn migration. Of 14 individual and environmental variables examined to explain why juvenile birds did or did not successfully complete their first migration, the natal origin of the bird was the most influential. We speculate that in a declining population with fewer experienced adults, an increasing proportion of juvenile birds are forced to migrate without conspecific guidance, leading to high mortality as a consequence of following sub‐optimal migratory routes. Juvenile Egyptian Vultures wintered across a vast range of the Sahel and eastern Africa, and had large movement ranges with core use areas at intermediate elevations in savannah, cropland or desert. Two birds were shot in Africa, where several significant threats exist for vultures at continental scales. Given the broad distribution of the birds and threats, effective conservation in Africa will be challenging and will require long‐term investment. We recommend that in the short term, more efficient conservation could target narrow migration corridors in southern Turkey and the Middle East, and known congregation sites in African wintering areas.

Threat status of birds of Yamuna Nagar District, Haryana, India

Birds were surveyed in the Yamuna Nagar District, Haryana, India and the threat categories of the species observed were determined with the IUCN Red List. A total of 185 species belonging to 46 families were observed. Families Accipitridae, Passeridae, Corvidae and Scolopacidae dominated the list. There were 13 species with various IUCN Red List categories. One Critically Endangered species, the Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus, and two Endangered species Black-bellied Tern Sterna acuticauda and Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus were observed. A prerequisite for all the measures focussed on management and conservation of species is that the status and population trends of the target species must be known, and future work should be in this direction. Â

Distribution of vultures in Uttar Pradesh, India

As carrion feeders vultures play an important ecological role. Counts and qualitative assessments were done over three seasons to assess the richness and abundance of vultures in Uttar Pradesh during 2010–11. Of nine species found in India, Uttar Pradesh has six: Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (45.9%), Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris (25.4%), Indian Vulture (Long-billed Vulture) Gyps indicus (16.8%), White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis ( 10.3% ) , Red-headed Vulture (King Vulture) Sarcogyps calvus (0.8%) and Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis (0.7%). We observed a total of 1993 adults and 91 juveniles, with the Tarai region having the greatest species richness and abundance. Nesting tree species included Silk Cotton Bombax ceiba , Teak Tectona grandis , Haldu Haldina cordifolia and Sissoo Dalbergia sissoo . A qualitative assessment indicated that the vulture population had declined in the past 10–15 years, with the main causes being the use of diclofenac, shortage of food and habitat loss. Disposal of dead animals was mainly done by removing carcasses to village outskirts, where dogs, crows and egrets compete with vultures. Such a small number of avian scavengers in a large area like Uttar Pradesh should be protected by ensuring safe and sufficient food, recovery from accidents and rehabilitation, and a protected environment.

Manipulating size, amount and appearance of food inputs to optimize supplementary feeding programs for European vultures

Supplementary feeding is one of the most common techniques used to alleviate threats to scavengers species related to the quality and availability of food resources. Because supplementary feeding may have undesired effects, the management of supplementary sites should be optimized from an ecological and conservation perspective. We installed high-resolution videocameras at six Spanish feeding stations recording more that 7500h of observations at 105 feeding events. We analyzed food preferences in the four European vulture species (Eurasian griffon vulture Gyps fulvus, Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus, bearded vulture Gypaetus barbatus and cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus) as they relate to the characteristics of the food remains and carcasses provided at feeding sites. Our results suggest that carrion features (format, scattering, prey species, biomass and items) influence differential selection between species and age-classes. At a species level, large inputs of unscattered carrion increased the abundance of actively feeding griffon vultures. The ratio of the abundance of bearded vultures, Egyptian vultures and cinereous vultures with respect to griffon vultures was favored when less biomass was supplied and when the food provided was not presented as whole carcasses. Thus, using medium-size ungulates (i.e. sheep and goats) presented as small, abundant and scattered pieces favors the consumption of the resource by the most endangered species. Our findings can be used to optimize the supplementary provisioning of vultures in cases where this conservation tool is considered essential for managing targeted species or population groups.

Individual repeatability in timing and spatial flexibility of migration routes of trans-Saharan migratory raptors

Abstract Satellite-tracking technology has allowed scientists to make a quantum leap in the field of migration ecology. Nowadays, the basic description of migratory routes of many species of birds has been reported. However, the investigation of bird migration at individual level (i.e. repeatability in migratory routes and timing) still remains seldom explored. Here, we investigated repeated migratory trips of a trans-Saharan endangered migratory raptor, the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, tracked by GPS satellite telemetry. We compared between- and within-individual variation in migratory routes and timing in order to assess the degree of repeatability (or conversely, the flexibility) in migration. To this end, we analysed a dataset of 48 trips (23 springs and 25 autumns) recorded for six adult birds during 2007-2013. Our results showed consistent migration timing at the individual level, both in spring and autumn. Interestingly, there was a high degree of flexibility in the routes followed by the same individual in different years, probably due to variations in meteorological conditions. Contrary to expectations of a faster migration in spring than in autumn owing to a time-minimization strategy for breeding, birds spent less time in autumn migration (13 ± 2 days, range = 9–18 d) than in spring migration (19 ± 3 days, range = 13–26 d), which can be explained by differences in environmental conditions en route. Egyptian vultures showed a consistent clockwise loop migration through western Africa, following more easterly routes in autumn than in spring. Finally, our results provide supporting evidence of low phenotypic plasticity in timing of migration (i.e. strong endogenous control of migration) and high flexibility in routes.

Congregations of wintering Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus in Afar, Ethiopia: present status and implications for conservation

The Endangered Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus congregates in communal roosts in the wintering areas and where food availability is high, where even a single threat might lead to substantial population declines. Thus, more research on the congregation sites is needed for timely detection of threats and effectively directed conservation measures. We studied bird numbers, use of roosting substrates and roosting habitat of wintering Egyptian Vultures in Ethiopia. Vultures were counted using the road-count technique in 2009, 2010 and 2013 along c. 600 km of roads in the Afar region. Over 1 000 individuals were counted each year and the sites with the highest congregations were identified. Nearly half of the birds were adults and the majority roosted on bird-safe types of electric pylons. Most of the Egyptian Vultures were found below 500 m above sea level, in bare areas, open savannas or grasslands, and their abundance was negatively related to the amount of cover of bush vegetation. The distribution of roosting birds was not affected by distance to human settlements. To avoid disasterous effects on the population of the Egyptian Vultures, we strongly recommend that the sites sheltering the highest numbers of roosting birds should be included in the Important Bird Area network, the use of poisons should be banned, and dangerous power lines should be insulated or substituted with safer types.

Allometric deviations of plasma carotenoids in raptors

Because large species ingest proportionally less food than small ones, it may be predicted that they should incorporate relatively fewer carotenoids to a proportionally equal volume of blood. However, some species may increase their levels of circulating carotenoids by ingesting unusual food. We tested whether the plasma concentration of carotenoids scales to the three‐quarter power of mass in nine predatory and scavenger raptor species. No significant allometric relationships were found due to the unusually high concentrations of carotenoids in the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus and the Andean condor Vultur gryphus. To assess whether these two species deviate from the allometric rule through the exploitation of unusual sources of carotenoids, or due to a physiological adaptation to improve the uptake of carotenoids, we determined allometric patterns in individuals of these two species kept in captivity with an exclusive diet of flesh. Our results provided support for the allometric rule because the slope of the allometric equation did not differ from a three‐quarter exponent when carotenoid levels of the two outliers were replaced by those of captive birds. This adjustment to the allometric rule suggests a lack of any physiological adaptation to improve the uptake of the low concentrations of carotenoids contained in flesh. Differences between species in carotenoid incorporation into the bloodstream may be ultimately due to contrasting evolutionary history, physiology and associated colour‐signalling strategies, but proximately due to the acquisition of these micronutrients from both usual and unusual dietary sources.

Have population declines in Egyptian Vulture and Red-headed Vulture in India slowed since the 2006 ban on veterinary diclofenac?

SummaryPopulations of three vulture species of the genus Gyps, the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus and Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus have declined markedly on the Indian subcontinent since the mid-1990s and all are now Critically Endangered or Endangered. Gyps vultures have been killed by the widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, ingested when they feed on carcasses of domesticated ungulates treated with the drug shortly before death. However, it is not known whether Egyptian Vulture and Red-headed Vulture are also sensitive to diclofenac. Veterinary use of diclofenac was banned in India in 2006. Since then, the prevalence and concentration of diclofenac in domesticated ungulates carcasses has decreased and population declines of Gyps vultures have slowed or reversed. Here, we examine counts of Egyptian and Red-headed Vultures obtained on road transects in and near protected areas between 1992 and 2011. We found indications that the declines in both species appear to have slowed and possibly increased after the ban was introduced, though the small numbers of birds counted make this conclusion less robust than that for the Gyps species. These results suggest that both species may have been adversely impacted by diclofenac and that government bans on this drug, which are beginning to take effect, may benefit a wider range of vulture species in the Indian subcontinent than was previously thought.

Who Are We Feeding? Asymmetric Individual Use of Surplus Food Resources in an Insular Population of the Endangered Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus

Supplementary feeding stations, or “vulture restaurants”, are common conservation management tools. While a number of studies have investigated the consequences of surplus food on the population dynamics of scavengers, relatively little is known about the effects of such practices at the individual level. Within the long-term monitored breeding population of Canarian Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus majorensis) we investigated individual bird’s patterns of use of a supplementary feeding station at Fuerteventura (Canary Islands), over the course of breeding (2001, 2002; 2004-2011) and non-breeding seasons (2000-2010). Our results show that during the breeding season the individual use of the supplementary feeding station was inversely related to the distance to the breeding territory, which suggests the existence of central-place foraging constraints. In addition, larger birds of poor body-condition and individuals that ultimately failed to fledge young were detected more frequently at the feeding station. During the non-breeding season, and because most breeding birds abandoned the breeding territories, the overall abundance of Egyptian vultures at the feeding station grew. Moreover, the only variable increasing the probability of presence of individuals was poor body condition so that birds with lower wing residual visited the feeding station more frequently. Supplementary feeding may benefit individuals who would otherwise have been subject to selective pressures. From our results it follows that this conservation strategy must be used with caution because it can have consequences on an individual level and thus potentially affect the viability of endangered populations.

Total and abrupt elimination of a population of Egyptian Vultures (Neophron percnopterus) on Delhi - Agra highway in India

The present work is to highlight the threats being faced by the Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus (Linnaeus, 1758) in its original area including Mathura district. An isolated population of Egyptian Vultures was seen in 2007-08 spread over an area of 20-30 Kilometers home range. Actually, scores of Egyptian vultures were seen airborne gyrating in the skies at low height on the outskirts of Mathura city towards Delhi. Astonishingly, in 2008, another group of 40-50 Egyptian Vultures was seen feeding on 2-3 carcasses of Cattle on left hand side of Agra-Delhi National highway in September, 2008 towards Delhi. However, a visit in April, 2011 revealed a fatal fact, as all these birds of this population were certainly eclipsed in a short span of 3-4 years. Neither the airborne group nor the “Kosi-Kalan” village road side group was traceable. So much so, not a single bird could be sighted. In conclusion, it is boldly inferred over here that Egyptian Vultures are already in the brink of near extinctions as of in 2013, only one bird was traced on Mathura-Agra Highway.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijls.v8i1.8084

Scavengers on the move: behavioural changes in foraging search patterns during the annual cycle.

BackgroundOptimal foraging theory predicts that animals will tend to maximize foraging success by optimizing search strategies. However, how organisms detect sparsely distributed food resources remains an open question. When targets are sparse and unpredictably distributed, a Lévy strategy should maximize foraging success. By contrast, when resources are abundant and regularly distributed, simple Brownian random movement should be sufficient. Although very different groups of organisms exhibit Lévy motion, the shift from a Lévy to a Brownian search strategy has been suggested to depend on internal and external factors such as sex, prey density, or environmental context. However, animal response at the individual level has received little attention.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe used GPS satellite-telemetry data of Egyptian vultures Neophron percnopterus to examine movement patterns at the individual level during consecutive years, with particular interest in the variations in foraging search patterns during the different periods of the annual cycle (i.e. breeding vs. non-breeding). Our results show that vultures followed a Brownian search strategy in their wintering sojourn in Africa, whereas they exhibited a more complex foraging search pattern at breeding grounds in Europe, including Lévy motion. Interestingly, our results showed that individuals shifted between search strategies within the same period of the annual cycle in successive years.Conclusions/SignificanceResults could be primarily explained by the different environmental conditions in which foraging activities occur. However, the high degree of behavioural flexibility exhibited during the breeding period in contrast to the non-breeding period is challenging, suggesting that not only environmental conditions explain individuals' behaviour but also individuals' cognitive abilities (e.g., memory effects) could play an important role. Our results support the growing awareness about the role of behavioural flexibility at the individual level, adding new empirical evidence about how animals in general, and particularly scavengers, solve the problem of efficiently finding food resources.

An overview of monitoring for raptors in Bulgaria

Abstract Since 1990, nature conservation NGOs are the main players in the running of nation-wide research and monitoring schemes for raptors in Bulgaria. Among them, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) and Green Balkans are most active, covering the most threatened diurnal raptors in the country. The key species covered by comprehensive monitoring schemes are the Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca, White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus, Black Vulture Aegypius monachus, Saker Falcon Falco cherrug and Red-footed Falcon F. vespertinus. Information on their distribution, numbers, breeding success, productivity, diet, movements etc. is gathered on annual basis. The Buzzard Buteo buteo and Kestrel F. tinnunculus are also regularly monitored at the national level by the Common Bird Monitoring scheme. Distribution of all raptor species has been studied for the purpose of the Atlas of Breeding Birds in Bulgaria. The contemporary satellite telemetry methods revealed important aspects of movements and threats to eagles and vultures from Bulgaria within the country and abroad. Main threats for the raptors in Bulgaria are related to habitat loss, unnatural mortality and disturbance. The main gaps in raptor monitoring in Bulgaria are related to the lack of coverage of most of the diurnal species and owls. There is a strong national and international cooperation in conjunction with the work concerning Imperial Eagle, Egyptian and Griffon Vultures. However, further enhancement of cooperation on other raptor species and issues such as lobbying for implementation of raptor-friendly agricultural practices and enhancement of various economic sectors are needed

New vulture censuses in the Montejo Raptor Refuge, Spain

The gorges of the Riaza River (Montejo Raptor Refuge and its surroundings,Segovia, Spain) are renowned as one of the most important areas in Europe for the Eurasian Griffon Gyps fulvus and the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (Del Moral &amp; Mart&#237; 2001, 2002).&#160

Persistent electrocution mortality of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus over 28 years in East Africa

SummaryElectrocution on poorly designed power poles is increasingly shown to pose a threat for the populations of many large raptors. Here we document that a power line in Sudan continues to cause mortality of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus, a problem that was first identified in 1984. We suggest that this power line may have caused the death of sufficient Egyptian Vultures to partially explain population declines in the Middle East, from where the electrocuted birds may originate. This report highlights the urgent need to plan and retro-fit power lines in Africa with non-lethal support structures.

Long‐term relationship between diet breadth and breeding success in a declining population of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus

Between 2000 and 2009 we studied the diet and breeding success of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus in southern Spain. Wild species accounted for 74.9% of prey items (n = 1071) with a predominance of mammals (62.3%), followed by birds (20.8%) and reptiles (13.1%). Spatially, the diet was highly varied and not restricted to carcasses of livestock; wild Rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus accounted for 54% of the overall remains. The spatial variability may reflect regional and local disparity in the availability of main prey. The temporal relationship between variation in trophic diversity and Vulture nesting productivity (both values showing a long‐term decrease) might suggest a causal link between variation in diet and reproductive output. We hypothesize that high turnover rates could explain productivity variation as a consequence of the recruitment of less experienced individuals to the breeding population. This could in turn generate covariation between diet and reproductive output.

Population Estimates for the Diverse Raptor Assemblage of Dadia National Park, Greece

Population estimates for the diverse raptor assemblage of Dadia National Park, Greece.Dadia National Park, which is situated in north-eastern Greece, close to the border with Bulgaria and Turkey, is characterised by one of the most diverse arrays of breeding raptorial species in Europe. The first raptor survey was undertaken in the 1970s, but until 1999 most surveys were circumstantial and nonsystematic. Considering some of these species are globally endangered and included in Annex 1 of the Birds Directive, and that raptors in general are considered key indicators of biodiversity and ecosystem health, a systematic raptor monitoring programme was established by WWF Greece in 2000. This paper presents the results of this programme including the population status, trends and breeding densities of raptors from 2001 to 2005. Some 18–19 species bred in the area regularly, at densities ranging from one pair per 100 km2 (e.g. long-legged buzzard Buteo rufïnus and peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus) to 30 pairs per 100 km2 (common buzzard Buteo buteo). The total number of raptor territories was stable with an average of 321 ± 15.5 territories (77 territories/100 km2) with no overall trend and little fluctuation. Although the population size has increased for several species since the mid 1990s, data from the first surveys in the 1970s suggest that some species are still recovering from the decline suffered in the 1980s. The populations of six species have remained stable since the 1970s, whilst five species, including the Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus, have shown a gradual decline. The black vulture Aegypius monachus was the only species with a confirmed increase, a further three species showing a probable increase. The long-term trend for four species, including the common buzzard, is unknown due to insufficient data from the 1970s.