Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) lives in desert mountains across Southern Europe. It feeds on carrion and scraps. Its conservation status is Endangered.
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A real field recording of the Egyptian Vulture, made in the wild.
When a large egg, such as that of an ostrich or bustard, is located, the bird walks up to it with a large pebble held in its bill and tosses the pebble by swinging the neck down over the egg. They prefer using rounded pebbles to jagged rocks. This behaviour, although believed to have been first reported by Jane Goodall in 1966, was actually already known to Africans and was first reported by J. G. Wood in 1877. Tests with both hand-reared and wild birds suggest that the behaviour is innate, not learnt by observing other birds, and is triggered once they associate eggs with food and have access to pebbles. The tool-use lets the vulture crack shells far larger than its own beak.
In Europe and most of the Middle East, populations in 2001 were half of those from 1980, showing a steep mid-century crash. In India the decline has been rapid with a 35% decrease each year since 1999, while the Canary Islands population fell 30% between 1987 and 1998. The world population of Egyptian vultures is thought to be between 10,000 and 100,000 individuals and is declining.
The adult Egyptian vulture measures 47-65 cm (19-26 in) from beak to tail, with a wingspan about 2.7 times its body length. Birds from Spain weigh about 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) while the Canary Island subspecies majorensis, a case of island gigantism, averages 2.4 kg (5.3 lb).
Migrating birds can sometimes cover 500 km (310 mi) in a single day until they reach the southern edge of the Sahara, traveling 3,500 to 5,500 km (2,200 to 3,400 mi) from their summer home. Egyptian vultures that breed in temperate regions migrate south in winter, whereas tropical populations are relatively sedentary. Young birds that have not reached breeding age may overwinter in the grassland and semi-desert regions of the Sahel.
It is the only Old World vulture species that regularly feeds on faeces. The carotenoids (primarily lutein) that the vultures absorb from the vegetal matter in the excrement they ingest results in their bright yellow face colouration. Studies suggest that they feed on ungulate faeces to obtain carotenoid pigments responsible for their bright yellow and orange facial skin.
Sources
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In the scorching vastness of the desert landscape, the Egyptian Vulture soars with a quiet majesty, its snowy plumage glistening like a beacon against the burnished earth. With wings outstretched, it rides the thermal currents with effortless ease, its piercing gaze scanning the terrain below for the scraps that sustain it, a testament to its remarkable adaptability in a harsh and unforgiving world. As it banks and turns, its sharp silhouette etched against the brilliant blue, we are reminded of the fragile beauty of this endangered creature, a symbol of resilience in a landscape of shifting sands.
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