The Egyptian vulture is the smallest of the four species of these carrion feeders which inhabit Spain, with a wingspan of between 1.5 metres and 1.7m.
Most of the Spanish population spends the winter in Africa and returns to Iberia for the nesting season, according to the ministry for the ecological transition (Miteco).
For this reason, the vulture conservation foundation (VCF) refers to it as the only true long-distance migratory vulture.
The species is considered to be globally endangered. It is the only European vulture with a declining population; an estimated 50% drop in the last 40 years across its range, notes the VCF.
Around 80% of the remaining population in Europe is found on the Iberian Peninsula, with Spain home to 1,300 to 1,500 pairs, according to the VCF.
Threats to the bird include the loss of habitat, decrease in food supply, collisions with electricity infrastructure and poisoning from the use of agricultural chemicals in both Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, says the VCF.
According to SEO/BirdLife, this vulture has also suffered ‘incomprehensible persecution by hunters and farmers’.
They add that the carrion eater is ‘particularly sensitive’ to the illegal use of poison in the countryside ‘by a few irresponsible people’.
However, help has been at hand.
“The good news is that many conservation initiatives are currently working to preserve and boost the Egyptian vulture population in Europe and beyond,” they note.
These efforts began at the beginning of the 2000s with projects funded by the European Union’s LIFE programme and governments in the Canary Islands, France, Italy and Bulgaria.
Where are they?
SEO/BirdLife reports that the Egyptian vulture is ‘relatively well distributed around the Iberian Peninsula.
It prefers mountainous areas and their foothills.
Groups of the birds can be found in many different zones including the Cantabrian mountains, the Pyrenees, the Ebro valley, Extremadura, Arribes del Duero, Sierra Morena and the sierras of Cazorla and Segura; as well as the Balearics and the Canaries.
Although the Iberian population (except Balearics and Canaries) migrates to Africa in the winter, ‘some individuals’ spend this season in the Doñana national park area and the south of Extremadura.
Vulture facts
This species is considerably smaller than the other vultures in Europe, says the VCF.
Adult animals have a bald yellow head and throat, and a white-collar.
The plumage is a creamy white, in sharp contrast with the black wing coverts.
Like bearded vultures, Egyptian vultures sometimes rub themselves with soil rich in ferric oxides, explains the VCF.
When in Egypt…
Egyptian vultures are opportunists; their diet consists mainly of carrion, but also small mammals, young birds, fish, eggs and even rotting fruit, says the VCF.
The species can fly up to 80 kilometers per day in search of food.
Due to their smaller size, Egyptian vultures must often wait for other species such as griffon or black vultures to have finished eating.
The thin beak is perfectly adapted to catch the small pieces of leftover meat on carcasses.
Also, they can break an egg by repeatedly dropping stones on it.
They breed later in the year than other vulture species, due to the Africa migration, and lay on average two eggs in April or May.
Pairs build nests together, in rocky areas, often on cliffs.
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