MIGRATION: A FLIGHT FOR SURVIVAL
aced with a challenge as
tough as an ostrich egg,
lesser scavengers may quail.
Not the Egyptian Vulture
Neophron percnopterus. One of
evolution’s great problem-solvers, this
ingenious raptor will set off in search
of a suitably sharp pebble. Once it has
found one of the right dimensions, it
will swing its neck down and fling it
upon the egg. If it doesn’t work the first
time, it will try again. It almost always
gets its dinner.
It’s not just pebbles. The Egyptian
Vulture also uses twigs to roll up wisps
of wool and take them back to line its
nest. Such behaviour was first recorded
by astonished Victorian naturalists
visiting the African continent – but
the people of Africa had known it was
special for a long time. In ancient Egypt,
the species was sacred to the goddess
Isis and hailed as a symbol of royalty,
protected by law. It was so iconic and
widespread that it was nicknamed the
“Pharaoh’s Chicken” and even used as a
hieroglyph.
If only modern humanity had the
same respect for this species. Today,
it is facing challenges even the great
problem-solver of the bird world can’t
overcome. On its 5000 kilometre
migration between European breeding
grounds and sub-Saharan wintering
grounds, it risks being poisoned by
lethal farming chemicals, electrocuted
by powerlines, or shot down by
poachers and stuffed as macabre
trophies.
The devastation has been wholesale.
The European population has
plummeted by 50% in the past 40
years, and worldwide, only one in seven
juveniles reaches adulthood. For a
long-lived species whose lifespan can
stretch to 30 years, every bird killed has
a profound impact on future numbers.
Illegal killing is a particular problem
in the Balkans. Birds that escape
F
EGYPTIAN VULTURE
FACT FILE
WINGSPAN: 155-180 CM
TOP SPEED: 70 KM/H
THREATS: POWERLINES,
POISONING, SHOOTING
APR-JUN 2019 • BIRDLIFE
The Egyptian Vulture takes off from
wintering grounds on the southern edge
of the Sahara. It travels via the Bosporus,
flying up to 640 km per day to reach its
south European breeding grounds – a
journey that can stretch to 5000 km.
EGYPTIAN
VULTURE
MIGRATION
ROUTE
poisoning or electrocution may instead
be shot down and sold as trophies on
the Western European black market.
The population has plummeted by
more than 80% in the past 30 years.
But a more unusual threat is also at
play. Eggs and chicks are often stolen
straight from the nest and sold to egg
collectors, or raised in captivity to be
kept in zoos or private aviaries.
In response, the Bulgarian Society
for the Protection of Birds (BSPB,
BirdLife Partner) are doing everything
in their power to safeguard the
Egyptian Vultures that pass through
their country. They have set up nest-
guarding schemes to protect breeding
grounds from human disturbance. They
have satellite-tagged Egyptian Vultures
to track their movements and better
understand where and how to protect
them. And they run a much-needed
captive-release program to bolster wild
populations, aided by breeding centres
across Europe.
They’re also leading something that,
like the vulture, goes beyond national
borders. With the help of 13 other
countries along the vulture’s migration
route, together with BirdLife Partners,
BSPB is spearheading an ambitious new
project, “Egyptian Vulture – new LIFE”.
One of the main aims of this initiative is
to set up a string of “vulture safe zones
– areas cleared of poisoning hazards
and supplied with safe food.
Poisoning is a serious threat to
vultures worldwide, and comes
from multiple sources. Farmers may
leave out poisoned bait to eliminate
livestock predators such as lions and
wolves, with vultures becoming the
unintended victims. Less directly but
no less devastatingly, many vultures are
killed by the veterinary drug diclofenac,
which is used as a painkiller on farm
animals, but is deadly to the vultures
that scavenge upon deceased livestock.
Although diclofenac has been outlawed
across Asia, it has, in a shocking step
backwards, recently been approved for
veterinary use in Europe. BSPB is part of
the campaign to reverse this decision.
Egyptian Vultures put a huge amount
of effort into breeding and raising their
young. Couples perform magnificent
aerial courtship displays and work
together to care for their brood. After
all this effort, having their young stolen
from the nest or poisoned before they
have the chance to breed themselves is
unthinkable.
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