Vulture News

Vulture updates No 17 – October 2022 - Around the World of Vultures & VSG activities

2023-05-09T08:08:20+00:00

No abstract.

Cover image and Table of content

2023-05-09T13:18:34+00:00

This file has the cover image and issue information.

Breeding parameters and phenology of the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus Linnaeus, 1758) in Bulgaria

2023-05-09T08:05:11+00:00

No abstract.

More resourceful scavenging by opportunistic Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus in coastal Gambia with photographic proof of tongue use when foraging for live food and blood.

2023-05-09T07:45:17+00:00

We report on a combination of new and infrequently documented feeding behaviours for the Critically Endangered and opportunistic Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus. Observations were recorded in the Western Region of coastal Gambia from 2015 to 2020, where Hooded Vultures are living in high densities. We provide photographs and video footage to demonstrate the use of the grooved tongue for consuming live food items and when drinking blood. Attraction of large groups of Hooded Vultures to freshwater is also described.

Culture and the illegal trade in vultures in southwestern Nigeria: conundrums and recommendations.

2023-05-09T07:52:05+00:00

The illegal wildlife trade problem is worldwide in scope, affecting biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing. However, the trade has cultural dimensions. In addition to economic gain, cultural influences drive the illegal wildlife trade. This paper examines the cultural drivers of illegal trade in vultures in southwestern Nigeria, a pressing but understudied example which is believed to be a major driver of population declines in West Africa. Semi-structured interviews revealed that Yoruba communities in southwestern Nigeria have practiced belief-based use of wildlife for generations, with participation in vulture trade passed vertically within families and horizontally between unrelated persons. Vulture products are used for a range of purposes, from healing to spiritual protection or good fortune. The cultural beliefs underlying use of vultures have a strong syncretic religious component and evolved from primordial myths based on the behavioural and morphological characteristics of vultures. We propose potential interventions that include re-establishing existing social norms that forbid the killing of vultures and engaging religious leaders to discourage trade.

Chewing lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) found on Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) from a wild breeding colony in central Spain.

2023-05-09T07:54:17+00:00

The Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) is a social species which breeds in colonies and feeds in groups. This can facilitate horizontal transmission of ectoparasites between conspecifics. In 2015, in the province of Guadalajara, Spain, 28 vultures from a wild population were examined for ectoparasites, 24 of which were parasitized by chewing lice (Phthiraptera). Three species of lice were identified: Laemobothrion (Laemobothrion) vulturis, Colpocephalum turbinatum and Falcolipeurus quadripustulatus. Data on the prevalence and richness of louse species in the vulture population are also presented.

First confirmed record of Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Malawi.

2023-05-09T07:56:22+00:00

No abstract.

Coprophagy of Lion Panthera leo faeces by Hooded Vultures Necrosyrtes monachus: a case study in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.

2023-05-09T07:58:15+00:00

No abstract.

First data about movements and threats of Rüppell's Vultures (Gyps rueppellii) tagged in Morocco: an international and multi-institutional study.

2023-05-09T08:03:07+00:00

The Rüppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppelli) is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ at the global and regional levels in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. A multi-institutional collaboration to fit 13 vultures with GPS transmitters in northern Morocco was launched to get information on their movements and threats along the flyway, both to the north and the south of the Sahara. Preliminary results from individuals released in November 2021 indicate a low survival rate during the wintering period in Morocco and on the return journey to the Sahel, which is usually attempted by Rüppell's Vultures with large groups of migratory birds, especially Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus). Of the group of tagged individuals, only four birds travelled definitely in a southwards direction, apparently migrating. Two of those have died, with one presumed to have starved in the Algerian desert, and another one presumed to have been killed by human persecution in The Gambia. A third individual was captured by local people in Mauritania and it is unknown what happened thereafter. One bird remains alive in Senegal at the time of writing. For the birds that did not disperse far after being fitted with transmitters, a relatively high number of fatalities seems to confirm that threats to the species are prevalent in Morocco: one bird died after being struck by a wind turbine; one was electrocuted by a power line; and two suffered from starvation and weakness. Birds remaining close to the release area fed mainly at a vulture feeding station or at rubbish dumps, which may indicate that there is a lack of food available in the wider surroundings. Five vultures originally fitted with transmitters are still alive in North Africa at the time of writing.