Egyptian vulture ringed in France observed in Sicily

The Italian population of the globally endangered Egyptian vulture (Neophron

percnopterus) is very small, with 10 pairs surviving in the extreme south of peninsular Italy and Sicily. The nearest population is very far away, in France, and it was feared this small population was becoming more and more isolated – hence the observation in May 2016 of a French-ringed Egyptian vulture in Nebrodi (Sicily) is of some significance. The bird had been ringed in the nest in southern France in 2013.

This is the first documented case of a long-distance movement of an Egyptian vulture

from the French population to Sicily, and suggests that the Italian population may still get some immigration from other countries. Recently it was established that immigration from birds from Spain is one of the key factors in the stability of the French population, for example.

You can download the paper below-

Photo Bruno Berthémy