Behaviour of a young Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus for one hundred days after leaving the nest in the Tianshan Mountains, China

Abstract

There are few breeding records or reports on Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus in China. The species is vulnerable to mortality from poisoning and collision, such as during migration seasons and in wintering areas (Kenny et al. 2008). From 2016 to 2017, we investigated and reported for the first time on the breeding ecology of the vultures in the central Tianshan Mountains (MaMing et al. 2017). In addition to observing behaviour in the nest, we also tracked several young birds after they left the nest, from the end of July to October. Although young birds are relatively easy to observe during their stay in the nest (Reading et al. 2010), it is difficult to understand their fate after leaving the nest. In the Central Asia, only about 25 - 30 % of the sub-adult birds survive, and sometimes the success rate of reproduction is very low (Batbayar 2004, Reading et al. 2010, MaMing et al. 2017).