First record of Eurasian Griffon Vulture <i>Gyps fulvus</i> from the Balkans migrating to South Sudan revealed by GPS tracking

Abstract

Adult Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus are mostly resident but the juveniles and immatures are mostly nomadic and migratory. Significant numbers of young vultures from Eurasia migrate every autumn to the Middle East and Africa but little is known about their migration routes and wintering grounds. We tracked one juvenile Griffon Vulture on its south migration from Bulgaria to South Sudan. This is the first confirmed occurrence of the species in South Sudan. The overall travelled distance on migration was 5727km with a migration speed of 136km/d. In the wintering grounds in Sudan and South Sudan this bird inhabited mostly arid savannah and desert habitats up to 600m altitude. The overall wintering home range (MCP) was 47 781km² .

Keywords: dispersal, satellite telemetry, wintering, home range