Egyptian Vulture

This vulture’s main habitat is rocky slopes. Constantly on the hunt for food, including carrion, it often shares habitat with ungulates.

Egyptian vultures are considered partial migrants—birds living in some part of the species' range migrate, while others remain in one general area all year round. In Kazakhstan, the Egyptian vulture is at the northernmost limit of its breeding range. The bird inhabits spurs of the Tian Shan Mountains (including the Karatau range), Dzungarian Alatau Mountains, Ustyurt Plateau, and Mangyshlak Peninsula. 

The Egyptian vulture was once considered to be fairly common and widespread throughout most of its range in Europe, Asia, and the dry parts of Africa north of the equator. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Populations have plummeted due to a host of threats; chiefly, secondary poisoning (of their prey), problems posed by energy infrastructure, decline in food availability, and human disturbance.

Poisoning. Egyptian vultures also fall victim to poison and pesticide applications used to control four-legged predators and rodents, wreaking havoc on their population. A rising issue is the widespread use of diclofenac in veterinary medicine - this medication is fatally toxic to vultures scavenging on livestock carcasses treated before death with this medication.

Energy infrastructure. Second among threats to Egyptian vultures is energy infrastructure. Collisions with electric power lines and wind turbine blades are often fatal for Egyptian vultures and other larger birds; the same is true for electrocution and feet entanglement in overhead cable twists or clamps. The current conservation focus in Kazakhstan seeks to address the threats posed by transmission lines nationwide and poorly-regulated siting and development of wind farms along the Western Circum-Himalayan Migration Corridor (WCMHC), a major pathway for the Egyptian vulture and other birds of prey. 

Decline in food availability. Third among threats to Egyptian vultures is the decline in food availability, traditionally associated with declines in the number of wild ungulates, tightening sanitary standards for the disposal of dead livestock, and changes in landfill management.

Human disturbance also threatens the Egyptian vulture’s survival. Ornithologists have documented huge nest losses attributable to human disturbance; notably, the location of Egyptian vulture nests closer and closer to farms and places where humans are present. In Kazakhstan, most of the country’s mining operations occur in the south and southeast, including in the Karatau Mountains, all key locations for Egyptian vulture populations.

Ornithologists and conservationist groups, among them, Kazakhstan’s Biodiversity Research and Conservation Center (BRCC), have joined forces to ensure the Egyptian vulture’s future in Kazakhstan. Current efforts center on identifying and executing measures to mitigate threats from energy infrastructure; specifically, power lines and wind farms. Initiatives include:

• educating electrical industry companies, state environmental protection agencies and other stakeholders on the need and methods to preserve raptors in Kazakhstan and
• collaboration and coordinated actions among local and regional nongovernmental organizations to identify best practices and technologies for reducing threats posed by energy infrastructure and developing recommendations. 

Tool use! Egyptian vultures boast a remarkable intellect. Notably, they are among the few bird species to use tools, using small rocks and pebbles to crack open eggs as large as those of ostriches. The vulture is creative and persistent by necessity - it cannot carry the heavy eggs and it must wait for the ostrich to leave its nest. They also use twigs to roll up wool which they then use as a lining in their nests. 

Social Animals. Egyptian vultures are social birds, forming flocks for hunting, sharing prey, and roosting at night. 

• educating electrical industry companies, state environmental protection agencies and other stakeholders on the need and methods to preserve raptors in Kazakhstan and
• collaboration and coordinated actions among local and regional nongovernmental organizations to identify best practices and technologies for reducing threats posed by energy infrastructure and developing recommendations.