Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
AERC TAC. 2003. AERC TAC Checklist of bird taxa occurring in Western Palearctic region, 15th Draft. Available at: http://www.aerc.eu/DOCS/Bird_taxa_of_the_WP15.xls.
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| - | A2abcde+3bcde+4abcde | A2abcde+3bcde+4abcde |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Endangered | A2abcde+3bcde+4abcde |
| 2019 | Endangered | A2bcde+3bcde |
| 2016 | Endangered | A2bcde+3bcde |
| 2014 | Endangered | A2bcde+3bcde+4bcde |
| 2012 | Endangered | A2bcde+3bcde+4bcde |
| 2008 | Endangered | A2b,c,d,e; A3b,c,d,e; A4b,c,d,e |
| 2007 | Endangered | |
| 2004 | Least Concern | |
| 2000 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Least Concern | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | full migrant | Forest dependency | does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type | Average mass | 2,082 g |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 58,000,000 km2 | medium |
| Extent of Occurrence (non-breeding) | 50,100,000 km2 | medium |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 12400-36000 mature individuals | medium | estimated | 2020 |
| Population trend | decreasing | medium | estimated | 1990-2030 |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 50-79% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 50-79% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 50-79% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 13.41 years | - | - | - |
Population justification: In Europe, the breeding population is estimated to number 3,000-4,500 breeding pairs, equating to 6,100-9,000 mature individuals (BirdLife International in prep.). Europe forms 25-49% of the global range, so a very preliminary estimate of the global population size is 12,400-36,000 mature individuals, roughly equating to 18,600-54,000 individuals, although further validation of this estimate is needed.
Trend justification: The species is declining in virtually all parts of its range, apparently for a number of different reasons. European populations have declined by at least 10% over the last three generations (40.23 years [Bird et al. 2020]) (BirdLife International in prep.). In Spain, which with c.1,300 pairs may support as much as 40% of the European breeding population, the number of territories declined by at least 25% between 1987-2000 (i.e. equating to a decline of >50% over three generations) (Donázar 2004, Del Moral 2009), likely due to high mortality rates (Cortés-Avizanda et al. 2009). The Spanish population was estimated to be stable for the period 1998-2011 (BirdLife International 2015, Tauler et al. 2015), and the adjacent French population appears to be increasing (Lieury et al. 2015), although 2015 appeared to be a bad year there (Vulture Conservation Foundation 2016). Balkan populations are however still declining at 4-8% per year (equating to 81-97% over three generations), with the population in Greece having declined by 44-60% over 30 years (Xirouchakis and Tsiakiris 2009, Grubač et al. 2014, Velevski et al. 2015).
Declines are reported from the Middle East (S. Aspinall in litt. 2005), e.g. 50-75% in Israel, however in Oman the population appears stable or increasing (J. Eriksen in litt. 2005; Al Bulushi et al. 2013; Angelov et al. 2013b; Angelov et al. 2020), although this may be more a reflection of count methods rather than genuine stability in the population. Around 1,900 birds are resident in a stable population on the island of Socotra (Porter and Suleiman 2012). The resident populations within Africa have declined by 5.9% per year over the past 29-36 years (equating to 91% over three generations) (Ogada et al. 2016), including those in Ethiopia and Djibouti (G. Mulholland in litt. 2006, Arkumarev et al. 2014), Kenya (Virani et al. 2011), and Angola and Namibia (where just 10 pairs remain) (R. Simmons in litt. 2006). Steep declines have also been reported on the Cape Verde islands (Clouet 2018). Declines in North Africa are estimated to be 50-79% over three generations (Garrido et al. in prep.). Across much of Africa residents are outnumbered by migrant European and probably Asian breeders (J. M. Thiollay in litt. 2006, I. Angelov in litt. 2012). The species has gone Extinct in the region of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland (Taylor et al. 2015), and is Extinct as a breeding species in Namibia (Simmons 2015). Most critically, the species has undergone a catastrophic decline (>35% per year) since 1999 in India, where numbers detected on road transects declined by 68% between 2000 and 2003 (Cuthbert et al. 2006), but the recent ban on diclofenac may have arrested the decline of the Indian population (Galligan et al. 2014).
With rates of decline over three generations being >10% in Europe, 91% in the resident population in Africa, 50-79% in North Africa, and potentially >99% in India (but with a possible recent levelling off in this region), the global rate of decline is suspected to be 50-79%. As many of the threats causing these declines are ongoing, future rates of decline are suspected to be of a similar magnitude.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Albania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Algeria | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | yes |
| Andorra | extant | native | yes | |||
| Angola | extant | native | yes | |||
| Armenia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Austria | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Azerbaijan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Bangladesh | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Belgium | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Benin | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | extinct | native | yes | |||
| Botswana | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Bulgaria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Burkina Faso | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Cameroon | extant | native | yes | |||
| Cape Verde | extant | native | yes | |||
| Central African Republic | extant | native | yes | |||
| Chad | extant | native | yes | |||
| China (mainland) | extant | uncertain | ||||
| Congo, The Democratic Republic of the | extinct | vagrant | ||||
| Côte d'Ivoire | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Croatia | extinct | native | yes | |||
| Cyprus | extant | native | yes | |||
| Czechia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Denmark | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Djibouti | extant | native | yes | |||
| Egypt | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Eritrea | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Estonia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Ethiopia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Finland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| France | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Gambia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Georgia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Ghana | extant | native | yes | |||
| Gibraltar (to UK) | extant | native | yes | |||
| Greece | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Guinea | extant | native | yes | |||
| Guinea-Bissau | extant | native | yes | |||
| Hungary | extant | vagrant | ||||
| India | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Iraq | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Israel | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Italy | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Jordan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kazakhstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kenya | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Kuwait | extant | native | yes | |||
| Kyrgyzstan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Lebanon | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Lesotho | extinct | vagrant | ||||
| Libya | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Mali | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Malta | extant | native | yes | |||
| Mauritania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Moldova | possibly extinct | native | yes | |||
| Mongolia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Montenegro | extinct | native | yes | |||
| Morocco | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Mozambique | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Myanmar | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Namibia | extant | native | yes | |||
| Nepal | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Niger | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Nigeria | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| North Macedonia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Norway | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Oman | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Pakistan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Palestine | extant | native | yes | |||
| Poland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Portugal | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Qatar | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Romania | extinct | native | yes | |||
| Russia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Russia (Central Asian) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Russia (European) | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Saudi Arabia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Senegal | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Serbia | possibly extinct | native | yes | |||
| Slovakia | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Slovenia | extant | vagrant | yes | yes | ||
| Somalia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| South Africa | extinct | native | yes | |||
| South Sudan | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Spain | extant | native | yes | yes | yes | |
| Sri Lanka | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Sudan | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands (to Norway) | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Sweden | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Switzerland | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Syria | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Tajikistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tanzania | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Togo | extant | native | yes | |||
| Tunisia | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Türkiye | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Turkmenistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Uganda | extant | native | yes | |||
| Ukraine | extinct | native | yes | |||
| United Arab Emirates | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| United Kingdom | extant | vagrant | ||||
| Uzbekistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Western Sahara | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Yemen | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Zimbabwe | extant | vagrant |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Arable Land | suitable | non-breeding |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Pastureland | suitable | resident |
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Urban Areas | suitable | non-breeding |
| Desert | Hot | suitable | non-breeding |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Grassland | Temperate | suitable | resident |
| Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks) | major | breeding | |
| Savanna | Dry | major | resident |
| Shrubland | Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation | suitable | resident |
| Wetlands (inland) | Bogs, Marshes, Swamps, Fens, Peatlands | suitable | non-breeding |
| Altitude | 0 - 4500 m | Occasional altitudinal limits |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Agro-industry farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
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| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching - Agro-industry grazing, ranching or farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching - Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Persecution/control | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Unintentional effects (species is not the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Rapid Declines | Medium Impact: 7 | ||||||
|
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| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Human intrusions & disturbance | Recreational activities | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases - Gyps fulvus | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Viral/prion-induced diseases - Avipoxvirus | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Other options | Other threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
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| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
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| Residential & commercial development | Housing & urban areas | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
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| Transportation & service corridors | Roads & railroads | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Transportation & service corridors | Utility & service lines | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Rapid Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
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| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Medicine - human & veterinary | subsistence, national |
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | international |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/egyptian-vulture-neophron-percnopterus on 26/12/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 26/12/2024.