Neophron percnopterus - Egyptian Vulture
Feather characters. Barbules are very long (1.8-2.2 mm) and filamentous without any pigmented parts. Slightly thickened nodes (9.2-11 per mm) are equally distributed along the entire length of barbules, only slightly decreasing in size towards distal end. Villi are absent and internodes are straight. Minute prongs are mostly located on proximal end of barbules on both sides of the pennulum.
Field characters. Length 60-70 cm; wingspan 158-163 cm. Weight 2120 g (1829-2400) (Dunning, 1993). Much smaller than other vultures. Has a characteristic flight silhouette with long black-and-white wings, and short, wedge-shaped tail. Adult has bare, yellow head and throat, and a whitish ruff on rear head. Plumage creamy white, contrasting with black primaries; scapulars and inner wing-coverts smudged red-buff; ruff and neck washed yellow. Bill thin and hooked. Juvenile black-brown, excepting paler wing-coverts and rump, becoming increasingly more white with each moult.
Voice. Silent.
Distribution. Fairly common in Spain; elsewhere local and scarce. Map: see MapIt.
Habitat. Haunts a variety of open terrains such as steppes, savannahs, plains, sand-banks along rivers and cliffs; it has locally adapted to scavenging on rubbish dumps, and in ports.
Food. Mammal remains, reptiles, amphibians, insects, and occasionally small birds. Feeds on eggs by throwing them on the ground or breaking them by dropping stones on them. Frequently associated with human settlements and then feeding on waste food. Localises food items during searching flight.