Neophron percnopterus

Neophron percnopterus

The Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus L., 1758) is a small vulture belonging to the Accipitridae family.

Systematics –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to the Eukaryota Domain, Animalia Kingdom, Phylum Chordata, Aves Class, Accipitriformes Order, Accipitridae Family, Subfamily Gypaetinae and therefore to Neophron Genus and Species N. percnopterus.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
The scavenger is a bird present in a large part of a vast area that includes southern Europe, northern Africa and western and southern Asia. More rarely, some specimens go as far as Sri Lanka. This small vulture lives mainly in the arid plains and on the low hills. In the Himalayas, in summer, it can go up to about 2000 m altitude. The populations of these birds, which live in Europe, migrate in the winter to the south, in Africa, being able to arrive more sporadically to South Africa. This species nests mainly on rocky cliffs, but sometimes builds the nest also on windowsills of tall buildings and on big trees. The migration routes from Europe to Africa are either via Sicily, to arrive in Tunisia, through the islands of Marettimo and Pantelleria, or from Spain, through the Strait of Gibraltar towards the first African coasts or from the Levante area .

Description –
The Neophron percnopterus is characterized by a plumage of the white adult, with wings that have black remiges. The wild specimens may have a white plumage soiled by a rust or brown patina, due to mud or soil rich in ferrous minerals, while those in captivity that do not access the ground have a white-white plumage.
The beak of the cow head, black, is thin and long with the tip of the upper jaw is hooked. The nostrils are two elongated horizontal slits. The feathers of the neck are typically long to form a plume. The wings are pointed, with the third longest primary and the tail has the wedge shape. The legs have a pink color in adults and gray in young specimens. This species is characterized by long and straight claws with the third and fourth finger slightly palmate at the base.
The sexes have identical plumage even if the males of reproductive age have the facial skin of an orange color more intense than that of the females. The species has a slight sexual dimorphism with the females which, on average, are slightly larger than the males and heavier than the latter. Adult plumage is achieved only after about five years.
An adult cow head can reach the size of 47-65 cm from the tip of the beak at the end of the tail feathers.

Biology –
The Egyptian vulture can be sighted alone or in pairs. In the air it takes great advantage of the updrafts; it can be easily seen on the ground or on the top of buildings.
This bird feeds on a wide range of foods, including mammal droppings, insects attracted to them, carrion, plant substances and sometimes small animals and wild rabbits. When it joins other species of vultures around the carcass of an animal, it normally remains to flutter or in the surroundings and waits for the larger species to leave the open field.
The Egyptian vultures are mainly silent, but they can emit acute meows or whistles when they are in the nest and croaking noises while contending a carrion, they also emit hisses or growls when they are threatened, disturbed or irritated.
The night shelters of the Cape Vaccais are represented by large trees, buildings or cliffs. These shelters are generally chosen near landfills or other foraging areas.
The Neophron percnopterus reproduces in the spring period. At the beginning of this season the couple of head of the cows make air evolutions that include a carousel of rapids beaten followed by sudden ascents. These are generally monogamous birds and the couple bond can be maintained for more than one breeding season and the same nest can be reused each year. The nests are made up of a base of twigs padded with soft materials and located on the side of a cliff, of a building or on the bifurcation of a large tree, or even adapted to the use also old eagle nests. The eggs are brick red with the major end thickly dotted with red, brown and black speckles.
Egg incubation begins shortly after deposition of the first egg, and egg hatching is gradual, with the first egg hatching after about 42 days, the second after 3-5 days and, as the time elapses increases the likelihood that the next will die of hunger.
Although able to fly, young people continue to depend on their parents for at least a month, and then fly away as soon as they learn to feed on their own and migrate far away even up to 500 km away.

Ecological role –
The Egyptian vulture feeds mainly on carrion, but it is opportunistic and can also capture small mammals, birds and reptiles and also the eggs of other birds which, if they are large, throw large pebbles on them.
The number of Cape cow specimens decreased during the 20th century and some island populations are threatened by hunting, by accidental poisonings, by pesticides and by collision with electric cables. Above all, game, intensive farming practices and the expansion of these and the reduction of natural areas represent, as for other species, a serious threat to this species.
Although healthy adults do not have many predators, human activities are the biggest threat. Among these we remember mainly the accumulation of lead, following the ingestion of hunting pellets present in the carcasses, and the accumulation of pesticides. Young birds in the nest can sometimes fall prey to golden eagles, owls and red foxes.
Unfortunately, the decline in the populations of these small vultures creates an imbalance in the food chain and ecological balances that also affect human activities, including the ecological balance of agricultural production.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– C.Battisti, D. Taffon, F. Giucca, 2008. Atlas of nesting birds, Gangemi Editore, Rome.
– L. Svensson, K.Mullarney, D. Zetterstrom, 1999. Guide to the Birds of Europe, North Africa and the Near East, Harper Collins Publisher, United Kingdom.