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Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) Alternate name(s): "White Scavenger Vulture", "Pharao's Chicken" German name(s): "Schmutzgeier" Size: 47-52 cm (male) 52-55 cm (female); wing span 1.25-1.5 m Body mass: 1.6-2.4 kg Wing loading [g/cm2]: ca. 0.60

Europe: Family Group 6 Family Group 6 Table Lammergeier Eurasian Black Vulture Griffon Vulture Rueppell's Vulture Egyptian Vulture Osprey White-tailed Eagle Golden Eagle Spanish Imperial Eagle Short-toed Snake Eagle Bonelli's Eagle Booted Eagle Greater Spotted Eagle Red Kite Black Kite European Honey Buzzard Common Buzzard Rough-legged Buzzard Long-legged Buzzard Western Marsh Harrier Hen Harrier Montagu's Harrier Pallid Harrier Black-winged Kite Eurasian Goshawk Eurasian Sparrowhawk Gyrfalcon Lanner Falcon Peregrine Falcon Common Kestrel Lesser Kestrel Red-footed Falcon Merlin Eurasian Hobby Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Egyptian Vultures are small vultures. Although usually off-white to ochre/brownish in appearance due to soiled plumage, Egyptian Vultures are in fact white, with black flight feathers. The wing coverts are white. Only the upper side of the flight feathers shows white streaks. The neck feathers are spiny and form a hackle. The tail is wedge-shaped. Egyptian Vultures have a facial mask of yellow skin. The base of the hooked bill is also yellow, with a black tip. The irises are dark. The legs and feet are yellowish-brown. Juvenile Egyptian Vultures are mottled brown wherever adults are white. The facial skin and the bill are also darker than those of adults. They take about 5 years to reach adulthood.

Taxonomy, classification See Egyptian Vulture at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Egyptian Vulture is available HERE . There are three races of Egyptian Vultures between which there is considerable gradation. Birds in tropical regions are usually sedentary, while those in more moderate climate zones will migrate. Nominate race "percnopterus" spends the northern summers around parts of the Mediterranean, from the Atlas Mountain range in northern Africa, most of Spain, the Camargue and parts of southern Italy via northern Greece into Turkey, the coastline of Israel/Palestine and into southern Asia, to the South of the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, going as far East as Afghanistan and as far North as Lake Baikal. The birds from the Mediterranean and central Asia migrate South in winter, to their wintering grounds in sub-Saharan Africa, a small part of south-western Africa, the East coast of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia and all the way around the coastline of the Arabian peninsula, via Yemen and Oman, to the northern tip in the border region of Oman and the UAE. In Pakistan and all of India race "ginginianus" is sedentary. Race "majorensis" is found only on the eastern Canary Islands off the coast of Mauretania, where it is also sedentary. In Europe Egyptian Vultures, nominate race "percnopterus", occur as breeding migrants in the eastern 3/4 of Iberia, part of the Cote d'Azure, a small area along the North coast of Sicily and the southern tip of continental Italy and roughly in the northern half of Greece. When not looking for carrion in open country, Egyptian Vultures are often found around rubbish tips.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "percnopterus" J. Pires reports spotting Egyptian Vultures, nominate race "percnopterus", above Rio Douro, Miranda do Douro, Braganca, Portugal, in May 2018, and at Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, in October 2019. Others were found near Mora, Evora, Portugal, in May 2022 and at Cabranosa, Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, in October 2022. Another was spotted at Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, in April 2023. Other photos shown below were taken by D. Wilczynska on the southern slopes of the Caucasus in Georgia in June 2018. Egyptian Vultures, nominate race "percnopterus", have previously been found by us in Oman.

Photos

Race "percnopterus"

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an adult Egyptian Vulture looking sideways (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]

Lateral view of an Egyptian Vulture (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]

Frontal view of an Egyptian Vulture banking in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Near-frontal view of an Egyptian Vulture banking in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Near-lateral view onto the upperparts of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Near-lateral view of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Near-lateral/ventral view of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Lateral view onto the upperparts of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Lateral view of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Lateral view of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]

Lateral/ventral view of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Dorsal view of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Ventral view of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Monfrague, Salto del Gitano, Caceres, Extremadura, Spain, April 2023]

Ventral view of an Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of D. Wilczynska)
[June 2018]

More photos of Egyptian Vultures, nominate race "percnopterus", have been obtained by us in Oman.

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Near-frontal/ventral view of a juvenile or second-year immature Egyptian Vulture in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Sagres, Algarve, Portugal, October 2019]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: ?

Mobility: Migratory

Elementary unit: Solitary/pair

In Europe, Egyptian Vultures are summer breeding migrants to the Mediterranean, i.e., most of Iberia, the Balearic islands, the southern tip of Italy, Sicily, and much of south-eastern Europe.

Food, Diet

All raptors are carnivores. Egyptian Vultures scavenge mostly for offal.

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

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