Cinereous Vulture

Black vultures in the Vivarium Darmstadt

The black vulture ( Aegypius monachus) is a species of bird, which belongs to the Old World vultures ( Aegypiinae ). It's about a meter long, so even larger than the griffon vulture ( Gyps fulvus ), and thus after the bearded vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus ) is the largest bird of prey in Europe. It breeds mainly in wild mountain forests and comes in Europe almost before only in the Iberian peninsula on Mallorca and on the southern Balkan Peninsula. A distinction is no subspecies.

Features

The Cinereous Vulture reached a body weight of 7-12 kg and a wingspan 250-295 cm, making it one of the largest vulture species. He has a uniform dark brown plumage, which acts black from a distance. Its short, naked, bluish - pink neck is surrounded by a dark spring Krause. The wings are wide, the tail is often slightly wedge-shaped.

Occurrence

The Cinereous Vulture is widespread in Southern Europe and Central Asia. Today it is found from Spain to the Balearic Islands, the Balkans, the Middle East and Northern India to Southern Siberia, Northern China and Mongolia. Wintering areas are also further south, such as in Sudan, the Middle East, North West India, Pakistan and Korea. In southern Europe, the adult animals do not wander off in the winter, in Asia attract especially those of northern populations during the cold season in more southern climes. Previously the species was widespread in Morocco, Portugal, Italy, Ex - Yugoslavia, Albania, Romania, Moldova and Israel, where they no longer occur today.

The Cinereous Vulture is considered IUCN as " Near Threatened ". Especially in Europe, it has become rare in many parts of its original distribution area or disappeared entirely. In Spain, the stocks, however, were able to recover more recently of 200 breeding pairs in 1970 to almost 1,000 in 1992. In Mallorca there is a conservation organization to preserve the black vulture. It operates counts and catches young black vulture in order to resettle in the south of France or Macedonia. Since 1966 the number of black vulture is enlarged on the island of about 20 to 57 animals in 1991. Alongside these, in Europe small remainders of the black vulture in Greece (about 16 pairs), Bulgaria ( 1 pair), on the Crimean Peninsula ( 3-6 pairs) and in the European part of Russia ( about 50 pairs). Little is known about the stocks in Asia. In the Asian part of the former Soviet Union live in total probably over 1000 couples. The IUCN estimates the total number to 7,200 10.000 pairs.

The habitat of the black vulture are mainly forested hills and mountains, but in search of food, he also flies frequently open terrain.

Nutrition

The Cinereous Vulture feeds primarily on carrion of large and medium-sized mammals. Occasionally, especially in the summer when there are fewer carrion, he also suggests even smaller prey such as lizards and turtles, but also rabbits and similar sized mammals such as young ungulates. On carcasses of large vulture is usually the dominant Geierart. Thanks to its extremely strong beak he can eat very chewy food items such as muscles, tendons, and skin, he also crimps and small bones.

Black vulture from: Johann Friedrich Naumann, natural history of the birds of Central Europe, 1905.

Vulture ( Aegypius monachus)

Black Vulture Portrait

Dark form

Black vultures in the Tierpark Berlin