Egyptian Vulture in Kruger National Park

[Richprins]

Excellent, Harry!

Keep relaxing!

[Mel]

Please, let us have a blurd ( ), harrys!

[Flutterby]

Well done!!

[Dewi]

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus

[Toko]

Where have you found the Egyptian, Dewi?

[Dewi]

Not in South Africa unfortunately. This one was in Coto Doñana NP in Spain.

[Richprins]

A chap called Johan van Rensburg saw a juvenile at Transport Dam recently, seems it hangs around there!


Records of the Egyptian vultures in Southern Africa date back as far as 1680, but now these fascinating birds are listed as extinct in this country. Since 1945 fewer than 50 confirmed sightings of the bird have been recorded in South Africa. Then in June 2013 news filtered through of an Egyptian vulture in Kruger NP. Knowing how scarce it is, I chased through the next morning… missing the bird by 40 minutes!

Then, two years ago, a juvenile Egyptian vulture started hanging about the central parts of Kruger NP, popping up in places associated with large gatherings of vultures usually at large carcasses. It would stay a day or two, three and then disappear for extended periods before someone would again find it a while later near another kill. I chased this vulture on five separate occasions, dipped on each attempt, sometimes missing is by a few hours.

I had a few days earmarked for a St Lucia trip, but when the bird was spotted at Transport Dam every day for the last week, I thought another attempt to see it could be fitted into my travelling plans… St Lucia via Transport Dam. Having had some extremely close dips in the past, I thought it prudent to not dilly-dally along. I turned down the Transport Dam access road at 07:00 and after a few stops spotted the vulture sitting alone in a large dead tree. The scope came out and the scope views confirmed the ID – the mane of lanceolate feathers at the nape of the vulture ruffled up by the breeze framed its head like an Indian war bonnet. I got some long shots of the bird preening. Suddenly it took off and flew directly at and over my station showing its very distinctive wedge-shaped tail! Now that is when ugly becomes gorgeous!


Probably the most unique characteristic of these birds is that they are one of the few animals recorded to use ‘tools’. By holding smaller stones in their beaks and throwing them against large eggs (like ostrich eggs) they break the shell to access the contents. Using smaller eggs, like those stolen from flamingo or White Pelican colonies, they pick up and throw them against a hard surface to break them. Unfortunately, this habit is one of many factors that has led to their population decline as they were persecuted in by ostrich farmers protecting their breeding livestock. Eggs are not their primary food. They mainly feed on carrion, but they also eat insects, offal, refuse and dung. Like hooded vultures, their long, thin bill is well adapted for picking tiny remnants of meat off bones.

The Egyptian Vulture reserves a sacred place in ancient Egyptian history, where it was used as a symbol of royalty and became the first species to become protected by law after a pharaoh attached the death penalty to anyone who killed one of the birds. After this ruling, the bird came to be called “Pharaoh’s Chicken.”

[Lisbeth]

Surprising! There is still hope

Would be great to see a few of them together

[Dzombo]

A chap called Johan van Rensburg saw a juvenile at Transport Dam recently, seems it hangs around there!

Seems it has been moving around quite a bit over the past few months.
I can recall reading that it was in the Olifants/Satara area a few months ago

Is there a birding website that posts rare sightings on a regular basis?
Am hoping to try and track it down in Sept....if it's still about

[Richprins]

Oh yes, there are big birding mafia websites!

Trevor Hardaker is the boss of that, it seems. I'll PM you the address if you like, but google a bit?