Common name in other languages:
Dutch Aasgier; German Schmutzgeier; French Perconptère d´Egypte; Spanish Alimoche; Portuguese Britango;
Swedish Smutsgam
Size: 58-70 cm
Weight: 1,6-2,2 kg
Wingspan: 155-170 cm
Life expectancy: up to 37 years in captivity
Features: This vulture species is considerably smaller than the other vultures in Europe. 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. Young birds are brown with paler wings coverts, and slowly whiten with each mould. Like Bearded vultures, Egyptian vultures sometimes rub themselves with soil rich in ferric oxides, hence the German name ‘Schmutzgeier’.
Distribution: During the last decades, the number of Egyptian vultures declined dramatically in Europe. The largest European population is located in Spain (1300 to 1500 pairs). Except in France, where there are currently around 70 breeding pairs, the number of birds across Europe is still decreasing sharply, with over 50% in the last three generations.
Behaviour: Egyptian vultures are opportunists and eat very varied. Their diet consists mainly of carrion, but also small mammals, young birds, fish, eggs and even rotting fruit. 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 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.
The Egyptian vulture is the only European vulture that migrates to Africa in winter. This is why they breed later in the year than other vulture species, and lay on average two eggs in April or May. Couples build nests together, in rocky areas, often on cliffs.
Mon
22
Feb
2021
Wed
03
Feb
2021
Tue
02
Feb
2021
Tue
19
Jan
2021
Thu
14
Jan
2021
Fri
08
Jan
2021
Thu
07
Jan
2021
Thu
31
Dec
2020
Fri
25
Dec
2020
Thu
17
Dec
2020
Thu
10
Dec
2020
Tue
08
Dec
2020
Wed
02
Dec
2020
Wed
18
Nov
2020
Wed
11
Nov
2020
Sat
07
Nov
2020
Thu
05
Nov
2020
Thu
29
Oct
2020
Mon
26
Oct
2020
Tue
20
Oct
2020
Thu
15
Oct
2020
Sat
10
Oct
2020
Thu
08
Oct
2020
Sun
20
Sep
2020
Wed
16
Sep
2020
Mon
14
Sep
2020
Fri
11
Sep
2020
Wed
02
Sep
2020
Sat
29
Aug
2020
Fri
28
Aug
2020
Wed
26
Aug
2020
Fri
07
Aug
2020
Tue
04
Aug
2020
Tue
21
Jul
2020
Sat
18
Jul
2020
Fri
17
Jul
2020
Sun
12
Jul
2020
Wed
08
Jul
2020
Tue
07
Jul
2020
Sat
04
Jul
2020
Tue
30
Jun
2020
Sun
28
Jun
2020
Wed
24
Jun
2020
Tue
09
Jun
2020
Fri
05
Jun
2020
Sat
30
May
2020
Thu
21
May
2020
Mon
18
May
2020
Sat
09
May
2020
Tue
05
May
2020
Sun
03
May
2020
Sat
02
May
2020
Wed
29
Apr
2020
Sun
26
Apr
2020
Sat
25
Apr
2020
Fri
24
Apr
2020
Wed
22
Apr
2020
Tue
07
Apr
2020
Tue
31
Mar
2020
Sun
29
Mar
2020
Fri
27
Mar
2020
Sun
15
Mar
2020
Tue
10
Mar
2020
Thu
20
Feb
2020
Sat
15
Feb
2020
Sat
08
Feb
2020
Tue
28
Jan
2020
Sat
25
Jan
2020
Thu
23
Jan
2020
Wed
15
Jan
2020
Tue
07
Jan
2020
Sat
28
Dec
2019
Sun
22
Dec
2019
Wed
04
Dec
2019
Sun
24
Nov
2019
Thu
21
Nov
2019
Fri
08
Nov
2019
Thu
31
Oct
2019
Tue
29
Oct
2019
Sat
12
Oct
2019