Vulture News

Biomass of mammal carrion available to Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) and Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) along a commuter railway in New York, USA

Steven G. Platt — 2024-08-21

With 227,000 km of railways in the United States, wildlife-train collisions are more common than generally recognized and could be an important carrion source for Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) and Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura). We conducted a five-year study (2018-2022) in Dutchess and Putnam Counties, New York, USA to 1) estimate the biomass of mammal carrion available to vultures along 32.6 km of commuter railway, and 2) determine if vultures utilize train-killed wildlife as a food resource. During our study we recorded 154 individual mammals of 12 species killed by commuter trains. The number of train-killed mammals averaged 30.8/yr (SD ±13.1 mammals/yr), but varied widely, ranging from 13 to 45 individuals/yr. White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) contributed the most to this total, followed by Raccoon (Procyon lotor), Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana), and Coyote (Canis latrans). We estimated that 6722.0 kg of mammal carrion resulted from train-wildlife collisions during our five-year study, and of this total, 4778.3 kg were potentially available for consumption by vultures. We estimated that 29.3 kg of mammal carrion per km of railway was available for consumption by vultures each year. During our five-year study, we found evidence that vultures fed on >90% of the train-killed mammal carcasses. Our results suggest the commuter railway is attractive to foraging vultures because 1) carrion occurs at high concentrations relative to the adjacent “natural habitat”, 2) the massive traumatic injuries associated with train-wildlife collisions facilitate utilization of carrion, and 3) disturbance is minimal owing to the infrequent passage of trains (ca. 1 train/hr). Given that train-killed birds, frogs, snakes, and turtles were not included in our analysis, the total biomass of carrion available to foraging vultures along the commuter railway may be considerably greater than we estimated in this study.

First identification of the migration routes and wintering sites of Egyptian Vultures breeding in Uzbekistan

Robert J. Burnside — 2024-08-21

The aim of this project is to identify for the first time the migration routes and wintering sites of Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus breeding in central Asia. Four juvenile Egyptian Vultures from Uzbekistan were tagged in their nests with GPS transmitters between 26th July 2021 – 6 th August 2021. Three of the tags successfully transmitted data and three birds started to migrate from Uzbekistan between 5-15th September 2021. Each bird took a different route with two migrating via Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan and ultimately wintering in India (Rajasthan and Haryana). The third bird took a longer journey with several stops through Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and finally arriving in Yemen in late November 2021. All individuals remained in their wintering countries during the first spring, but by the time the birds were one year old only one individual made a return migration from India to the Tian Shan mountains on the border of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the summer of 2022. During the migration, we identified (using satellite photos and ground visits by local collaborators) frequent use of refuse dumps and slaughter sites by the Egyptian Vultures in each country. Notably, Balkan and Central Asian Egyptian Vultures are connected via their overlapping wintering locations in the Middle East.

Update on the Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres at the Goba breeding colony in southern Mozambique

James W.T. Hogg — 2024-08-21

No Abstract

A record of a Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus nest site at particularly high altitude in the Himalayas of Nepal

Francisco Javier Montoro Garcia — 2024-08-21

No Abstract

Records of tree-nesting Rüppell’s Vultures in Senegal

Jean-Marie Dupart — 2024-08-21

No Abstract

The Palm-nut Vulture: misconceptions and conservation concerns

Warren Goodwin — 2024-08-21

No Abstract

Louis Phipps — 2024-08-21

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Vulture updates No 19 - Oct 2023 - Around the World of Vultures & VSG activities

Chris Bowden — 2024-09-23

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Vulture News

Biomass of mammal carrion available to Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) and Black Vultures (Coragyps atratus) along a commuter railway in New York, USA

First identification of the migration routes and wintering sites of Egyptian Vultures breeding in Uzbekistan

Update on the Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres at the Goba breeding colony in southern Mozambique

A record of a Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus nest site at particularly high altitude in the Himalayas of Nepal

Records of tree-nesting Rüppell’s Vultures in Senegal

The Palm-nut Vulture: misconceptions and conservation concerns

Table of Contents

Vulture updates No 19 - Oct 2023 - Around the World of Vultures & VSG activities