Egyptian vultures

I have spent the last few months getting to know two amazing Egyptian vultures. I thought you might want to get to know Egyptian vultures as well.

Kevin, an Egyptian vulture in adult plumage

Bob, a 3 year old Egyptian vulture,
still in mostly juvenile plumage.

Egyptian vultures are native to northern Africa, as their name would suggest, but they are also found in southern Europe across the Middle East and Asia to India and Nepal. They tend to prefer hilly and dry habitats, and nest on cliff ledges.

While other vulture species are seen in large groups, Egyptian vultures tend to be seen either solitary or in pairs. Often a mated pair may remain together outside of the nesting period, a trait unusual for raptors.

Kevin coming in to land after a Parahawking flight.

Kevin landing, you can just see my outline at the right of the photo.

Weighing 3 to 4 pounds with a 5 to 5.5 foot wingspan, Egyptian vultures are the smallest vultures in Europe and Asia.  

Due to their small size, they aren’t often seen at large carcasses, being unable to fight the larger vultures for the food. Instead they will arrive at a carcass after the larger vultures have left, and will use their smaller beaks to pick the remaining meat from the bones. They will also eat insects, vegetable matter, eggs, and feces, and are often seen scavenging at garbage dumps. 

Vultures are probably the smartest of the raptors. (Many people think of the “wise old owl” as the smartest of birds, but just think of those large owl eyes… the eyes that take up between 50-75% of the space in an owl’s skull. The “wise old owl” is a myth.) Egyptian vultures prove their intelligence by being one of the few birds that are known to use tools. The African population of Egyptian vultures has found that ostrich eggs make a good meal. Of course the eggs are too large for the vultures to pick up with beak or talons, and the shells are too strong for them to crack easily, so the clever birds have learned to pick up a smooth rock in their beaks and throw it at the egg until the shell cracks.

 

Bob picking up a chicken egg and throwing it on the ground to crack it. 

Kevin and Bob, the two Egyptian vultures at Himalayan Raptor Rescue, are fed chicken eggs as a treat. These eggs, they quickly figured out, are small enough to pick up with their beaks. To get at the food inside these eggs, they just need to pick up the egg and drop it on the ground until it cracks.  

Bob has just cracked the shell and gotten inside the egg.

The trick is dropping the egg gently enough that the contents aren’t splattered all over the ground, but hard enough that the shell cracks. Kevin, at 5 years of age, has mastered the technique. It only takes him one or two tries until the shell is cracked just enough that he can then get his beak inside. Bob, at 3 years of age, is still working on his egg-cracking skills. A year ago, he would crash every egg into the ground, and then spend ages slurping up as much of the contents from the ground as he could. Now he is over-compensating, and dropping each egg so gently on the ground that it takes him longer to open the egg than to eat it. He will soon get the hang of it, and be a master egg opener, just like Kevin.

Ancient Egyptians revered Egyptian vultures because of their intelligence, as well as their important role of cleansing the environment of carcasses. The vultures were associated with royalty and with Egyptian goddesses such as Isis and Mut, and were often referred to as the Pharaoh’s chicken. They were the first protected species, as the Pharaoh respected them to such an extent that he made killing an Egyptian vulture punishable by death.

Despite the ancient Egyptians’ best efforts, today Egyptian vultures are listed as Endangered species. They are vulnerable to pollution, poisoning and electrocution from power lines, and - as with many other vultures in Asia - they are declining due to the veterinary drug diclofenac. Diclofenac has been banned for veterinary use since 2006 in Nepal, India and Pakistan, and hopefully we will soon see a rise in Egyptian vulture populations again in these areas.

Kevin and Bob are great ambassadors, showing that vultures deserve our respect and admiration for what they do, and helping spread the word about the vulture crisis in Asia.