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The Egyptian vulture, the last breeding vulture in Albania, in danger of extinction

PPNEA’s actions to inform and protect this rare species

Egyptian Vulture, Stefan Hirsch

The Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) is one of the largest vultures in Albania. It is a bird characterized by the white color, black feathers and yellow beak. The young are completely dark brown. The wedge-shaped tail is characteristic of this species. It has a length of 55-65 cm and the length of the wingspan reaches 155-170 cm. You do not often see them on the flight, for the simple fact that their number is smaller than ever.

This bird is a globally endangered species and over the last 30 years the population of this species in the Balkans, it has declined by more than 80%. The reasons may be related to the threats that this species encounters, not only in the nesting territories in the Balkans but also along the migration corridors.

Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (PPNEA) has not remained indifferent to this phenomenon and for several years has undertaken actions to study and protect the egyptian vulture in the Albanian territory.

The Egyptian vulture can now be seen on live camera ⁣

Efforts to preserve the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), extend beyond all borders, including 3 continents and the cooperation between 20 partner organizations, across 12 countries.

PPNEA has installed a live camera inside the supplementary feeding station located at the Drino Valley. ⁣Through this technique, the frequency of visits of the Egyptian vulture, their duration, its reproduction behaviour, etc., can be witnessed in real time by the research team of PPNEA as well as everyone who loves the magnificent vulture.⁣

The Egyptian Vulture – Dimitris Vavylis / HOS

5000 km journey from Europe to Africa

Major threats to a migratory raptor vary geographically along the eastern Mediterranean flyway.
A new study leaded by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds RSPB, where members of PPNEA are listed as co-authors, explores the main threats to the Egyptian vulture population along its migration route.

According to this study:

📍 Egyptian vultures face a variety of threats along their 5000 km journey from Europe to Africa.
📍 These migratory vultures are shot, poisoned and electrocuted in many countries across three continents but the main cause of death differs greatly between countries.
📍 Europe’s only globally threatened vulture, their population has declined by 50% since the 1990s.

PPNEA have built two supplementary feeding stations, which have avoided the cases of poisoning, the biggest threat to the Egyptian vulture. Our data show that these stations have fed nearly 30% of this kind of vulture population in Albania.⁣

Furthermore, they have implemented several awareness raising campaigns, educational programmes, as well as created a local network of collaborators called “Savers of Egyptian Vulture”.⁣

If you want to support them in this venture, contact their instagram page and be a saver of this rare bird too!