Eurasian Black Vulture - Aegypius monachus

European Black Vulture

This huge bird is 98–120 cm (39–47 in) long with a 250–310 cm (107–122 in) wingspan and a weight of 7–14 kg (15.5-31 lbs), and is thus one of the world's heaviest flying birds. Among the vultures in its range, the Eurasian Black Vulture is dominant over other vultures at carcasses and the best equipped to tear open tough carcass skins, using its powerful bill. Because of that it forms a important part of the food chain involving carrion.

The Eurasian black vulture inhabits forested areas in hills and mountains at 300-1400 m in Spain, but it is found at higher altitudes in Asia, where it also occupies scrub and arid and semi-arid alpine meadows and grasslands up to 4500m. Nests are built in trees or on rocks (the latter extremely rare in Europe but more frequently in parts of Asia), often aggregated in very loose colonies or nuclei. Its diet consists mainly of carrion from medium-sized or large mammal carcasses, although snakes and insects have been recorded as food items. Live prey is rarely taken.

In Europe, populations are increasing in Spain (minimum 1,500 pairs), Portugal and France, and are stable in Greece and Macedonia.

However, numbers are decreasing in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Turkey and the Ukraine. Overall, the European population underwent a large increase between 1990 and 2000, possibly >30% overall.

Much less information is available regarding the status and population trends of the species in Asia, where the bulk of the global population resides.

• There are probably over 1,000 pairs in the Asian part of the former Soviet Union.
• It appears that breeding populations are more or less stable in Mongolia (where the species is described as common), although fluctuations in distribution and breeding success occur, and populations within some nature reserves in Mongolia (where there are few domestic livestock) are declining.
• In Kazakhstan, however, populations of all vulture species are in severe decline, owing to precipitous decline in their main food resource, the Saiga antelope (Saiga tartarica).
• This trend may be mirrored in a number of other central Asian countries where populations of both domesticated livestock and wild ungulates have declined greatly in recent years.

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bulgaria
• France
• Georgia
• Greece
• Iran
• Kazakhstan
• Kyrgyzstan
• Mongolia
• Portugal
• Russia
• Spain
• Tajikistan
• Turkey
• Turkmenistan
• Ukraine
• Uzbekistan

Within Eurasia, Aegypius monachus has known breeding populations in Afghanistan Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, France (small reintroduced population), Georgia, Greece, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Spain, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan.

It may occasionally breed in Portugal, F.Y.R.O. Macedonia and Albania, but it no longer breeds in Slovenia, Italy, Cyprus, Moldova and Romania.

Its global population is estimated to number 7,200-10,000 pairs, with 1,700-1,900 pairs in Europe and 5,500-8,000 pairs in Asia. The species is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

The two main threats to the species are direct mortality caused by humans (either accidentally or deliberately) and decreasing availability of food. The main cause of death is the use of poisoned baits for predator extermination, although shooting and destruction of nests also occur. Hunting for sport is increasing in Mongolia.

There are fears that the vetinary drug Diclofenac may have a negative impact on A. monachus, particularly as increasing numbers of the species are wintering in northern India, where the drug is administered to livestock.

In Europe, decreased food availability is caused by European Union legislation on carcass disposal. In eastern Europe and central Asia, particularly in the former Soviet Union, changes in agricultural practices and human migration from the countryside to the cities have greatly reduced numbers of domestic livestock. Additionally, there have been steep declines in many populations of wild ungulates which provide a major food source for the species. The Saiga antelope (Saiga tartarica), for example, numbered over one million individuals ten years ago, and has now been reduced to a population of 30-40,000. Habitat loss is also thought to be important.

Conservation actions

The European Council Directive 79/409/EEC on the conservation of wild birds has contributed to the recovery and conservation of the species in Europe, particularly Spain, where the black vulture population has increased from an estimated 290 pairs in 1984 to a minimum of 1,511 pairs at present. Co-operation between Spanish government agencies and conservationists under the 'Antidote Programme' also appears to have been effective in mitigating the effects of poisoned baits. Both the Spanish and the Andalusian Governments have produced anti-poisoning strategies, but the former still remain to be financially supported while the latter need more decisive official endorsement.