Among vertebrates, specialization in scavenging has appeared only in “true” Gyps vultures, which usually base their diet almost exclusively on carcasses of medium and large-sized mammals, whereas all ...other scavengers rely on broader ranges of prey. The availability of food for scavengers in Western Europe has not been limited during recent decades permitting the existence and growth of huge vulture populations. From 2000 onwards, however, EU sanitary legislation has progressively limited the abandonment of dead animals in the field resulting in a sudden reduction of food availability with unknown ecological and conservation consequences. Here, we examine the dietary response of a tandem of carrion eaters, the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), showing different degrees of dietary specialization. Our results showed that after the reduction in numbers of supplementary feeding stations (vulture restaurants) the niche breadth of the griffon vulture has broadened and now includes significant amounts of wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and garbage. The diet of the Egyptian vulture, on the contrary, did not vary substantially. The diet overlap showed patterns probably conditioned by interspecific competition and the progressive exploitation of unpredictable carcasses. On a short-term scale, consequences for smaller scavengers could be negative due to the monopolization of resources by the dominant and much more abundant griffon vulture, however in the long-term all guild species would benefit from the exploitation of unpredictable carcasses, which could enhance the possibilities of coexistence.
This study involved an adult male Himalayan Griffon vulture,
Gyps himalayensis,
housed in Dhauladhar Nature Park (Zoo), Gopalpur, Himachal Pradesh, India. The bird manifested anorexia, emaciation, ...scant defecation, and reluctance to move. Despite supportive medication, it died. On post mortem examination, the proventriculus and gizzard were found to be firmly distended due to a solid mass made up of long grass material (phytobezoar). The accumulated grass material had led to occlusion of the gastric passage. A heavy infestation of roundworms of
Ascaris
spp. was also noted in the small intestine. The histopathological examination showed severely inflamed intestine with the presence of parasites in the lumen. This work appears to be the first report of concurrent presence of gastric impaction and ascaridiasis which led to death in the Himalayan Griffon vulture.
Veterinary diclofenac has been responsible for the devastation of three species of
Gyps vulture on the Indian subcontinent, and it is now regarded as one of the worst environmental contaminants in ...the recent past. While measures have been taken to control the manufacture of veterinary diclofenac in South Asia, the promotion of diclofenac on the African continent poses a risk to vultures in this region. In Southern Africa, the species of greatest conservation concern is the Cape Griffon Vulture (
Gyps coprotheres), as only 2900 breeding pairs remain in the wild. The objective of this study was to test if this species is toxicologically sensitive to diclofenac. In a single dose-toxicity study, two adult Cape Griffon Vultures with severe injuries, that were considered to have a very poor prognostic outcome, were dosed intravenously with diclofenac at 0.8
mg/kg. The changes in the clinical pathology were compared to the normal reference range established for 24 healthy Cape Griffon Vultures. Both birds died within 48
h of dosing. The clinical signs, clinical pathology, gross pathology and histopathological finding were typical for diclofenac toxicity. It would appear that the sensitivity of the Cape Griffon is similar to that of their Asian counterparts and the African White-backed Vulture (
Gyps africanus). Diclofenac is almost certainly toxic to all
Gyps vultures species and strong efforts must be taken to ensure that veterinary diclofenac products are not licensed or introduced to the African continent.
Molt patterns are poorly understood in most large bird species; however, they are of paramount importance in the development of surveys in which age is a key parameter. From 2000 to 2011, we studied ...the body condition and molt patterns of 214 Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) in Spain. Adult Griffon Vultures (“griffons”) demonstrated a poor body condition in winter during the incubation period, which then improved after hatching. Conversely, subadults were fairly uniform throughout the year, with their condition slightly inferior to that of adults throughout the year (except during the incubation period). The molt period lasted from April to December, ending in winter. Juveniles started their first molt in May of their second calendar year, beginning from the innermost primary (pp1) and proceeding outwards. Later, in midsummer, some individuals molted secondaries (only 17% of secondaries were molted in the first molt season) beginning at four foci: from the innermost (ss25) outwards, the outermost (ss1) and ss5 or ss6 inwards, and centrifugally from ss12. In the third calendar year, griffons continued molting primaries outwards in an orderly fashion and two new foci appeared in secondaries, apparently at ss6 and ss15. Most juvenile feathers were completely molted by the fourth calendar year, although some fifth-calendar-year griffons had retained juvenile secondaries. Subsequently, adults did not show a consistent molt pattern, but had a high degree of asymmetry between the two wings. Some quills were molted more often than others and this led us to hypothesize that adult griffons might molt quills on demand. El conocimiento sobre los patrones de muda de la mayoría de las grandes aves es aún escaso, sin embargo resulta de fundamental importancia para desarrollar investigaciones en las que la determinación de la edad es clave. Entre 2000 y 2011 estudiamos la condición corporal y el patrón de muda de 214 individuos de Gyps fulvus en España. Los buitres adultos mostraron una condición corporal baja en invierno, durante el periodo de incubación, la cual mejoró tras el nacimiento de los pollos. Por el contrario los sub-adultos mantuvieron una condición corporal uniforme a lo largo del año, un poco más baja que los adultos a lo largo del año, exceptuando el periodo de incubación. El periodo de muda duró desde abril hasta diciembre, finalizando en el invierno. Los juveniles comenzaron su primera muda en mayo de su segundo año de calendario, iniciándola desde las plumas primarias más internas (pp1) hacia fuera. Después, a mediados del verano, algunos jóvenes mudaron las plumas secundarias (sólo el 17% de las secundarias fueron mudadas en la primera sesión de muda), comenzando en cuatro focos, desde la más interna (ss25) hacia fuera, desde la más externa (ss1), desde la ss5 o ss6 hacia dentro y centrífugamente desde las ss12. En el tercer año calendario, los buitres continuaron la muda de las primarias de forma ordenada hacia fuera y aparecieron dos focos nuevos en las secundarias, en ss6 y ss15. Para el cuarto año calendario la mayoría de las plumas juveniles estuvieron completamente mudadas, aunque algunos buitres del quinto año aún presentaban secundarias juveniles retenidas. Tras esto, los adultos no mostraron un patrón consistente de muda, con un alto grado de asimetría entre ambas alas. Algunas rémiges fueron mudadas más frecuentemente que otras, lo que nos permite hipotetizar que los buitres adultos podrían mudar las rémiges cuando fuera necesario.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Vultures and eagles are large and impressive raptors that have a special role in the symbolic lore of local communities worldwide. We examine species folk names, everyday aphorisms, place names, ...local stories, ceremonies and folklore in modern Greece to demonstrate ways local communities conceptualize emblematic raptor species. As populations of these species are reduced or become extinct, local knowledge about them also disappears. On the other hand, conservation campaigns are mainly restricted on vultures' sanitary services and ecotourism potential, often overlooking intangible values that are more stable and deeply rooted in local culture. Traditional ecological knowledge, local values and perspectives should be incorporated in reconstructing raptor public awareness profiles by modern conservation science for effective participatory conservation policy for these endangered species worldwide.
Avian scavengers that typically include game birds and mammals in their diets are at risk of lead poisoning from ingestion of carcasses with fragmented or residual lead ammunition that is used in ...hunting. Thus, lead may be one of the threats that the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) faces in the Iberian Peninsula and particularly in Portugal, where their conservation status is considered to be near-threatened. This is the first report that details 3 cases of lead poisoning, associated with the ingestion of lead shot, in adult female griffon vultures found in the Iberian Peninsula. The birds were found prostrate and immediately transferred to a wildlife rehabilitation center, where they died within 24 hours after supportive treatment. Necropsy and histopathologic examinations were done in 2 birds and metal analyses were done in all birds to determine the birds' causes of death. In one vulture, 9 uneroded lead pellets were recovered from the stomach, and moderate to severe hemosiderosis was seen histologically in the liver, lungs, and kidneys. Diagnosis of lead poisoning was confirmed by results of metal analyses, which revealed extremely high lead concentrations in blood (969−1384 μg/dL), liver (309–1077 μg/g dry weight), and kidneys (36–100 μg/g dry weight) for all 3 vultures. To prevent lead poisoning in vultures and preserve their populations in the Iberian Peninsula, more resources are needed for diagnosis and treatment of wildlife in rehabilitation centers, new regulations enabling the abandonment of fallen stock in the field must be approved, and lead ammunition must be prohibited in big-game hunting.
A group of griffon vultures in Kresna Gorge was studied for its visit on the feeding station next to Rakitna Village after being reintroduced in the area. A camera trap method was used for a better ...understanding of the breeding behaviour of the griffon vulture, including the intra- and inter-species relations. A statistically significant difference was found between the independent feeding events during the pre-incubation and incubation periods of vultures. The duration of those events also differs, the ones in the second period being longer. Furthermore, a statistically significant difference was observed between the number of vultures per photo for the two sample periods, as a result of a different number of unmarked wild birds and different activity patterns of the nesting pairs. In spite of the fact that the terrestrial predators are also active during the night, their daytime presence leads to a high enough overlap between the two ecological groups, showing that the carnivores are a disturbance factor for the scavengers. The raven is the most abundant species at the feeding site and thus is a food competitor to the griffon vulture. The two species have adapted their behaviour to use the feeding station more successfully during the different biological periods. A significant decrease in the activity overlap between the individuals of the successfully nesting pairs was observed on the feeding station after the beginning of the incubation period. On the other hand, the activity overlap of the unsuccessfully nesting pairs increased in the second sample period. Camera traps can be used in further studies of the mating ecology for individual breeding pairs, when a direct observation on the nest is hard or impossible. This can be a cheap alternative of the time-consuming field observations.
We investigated the factors influencing the nest site selection and breeding success of the griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) in the provinces of Afyonkarahisar (inner part of western Anatolia), Antalya ...and Isparta (south of Turkey). Between 2010 and 2012, we monitored breeding behaviours and performances of 21 egg-laying pairs. Laying date occurred in February-March and the average incubation time was 52+ or -4 days. The hatching period took place during March-April. Breeding success (fledglings/egg-laying pair/year) was 1 for 2011 and 1 for 2012 in Afyonkarahisar, 0.33 for 2011 and 0.5 for 2012 in Antalya and 0 for both years in Isparta. Productivity (fledglings/territorial pair/year) was 1 for 2011 and 2012 in Afyonkarahisar, 0.5 for both 2011 and 2012 in Antalya and 0 for both years in Isparta. Aspect, slope, altitude and distance to the residential areas and roads were the main factors (94.9%) influencing the breeding behavior and nesting site selection of this species. Most of the nesting sites have been found to be bare and limy (68.1%). The number of the griffon vulture populations occupying higher altitudes has been gradually decreased in Antalya and Isparta. Habitat destruction, use of agricultural chemicals, poisoning and anthropogenic impacts were probably the main factors for such a decrease.
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