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English: Taxonomy of Cinereous vulture

Scientific Name: Aegypius monachus Common Name: Cinereous vulture French: Vautour moine; German: Mönchsgeier; Spanish: Buitre negro; Other names: Vultur Monachus Linnaeus, 1766; black vulture; monk vulture; Eurasian black vulture; Family: Accipitridae › Accipitriformes › Aves › Chordata › Animalia Species author: (Linnaeus, 1766) Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Accipitriformes Family: Accipitridae Genus: Aegypius, Savigny, 1809 Species: A. monachus Binomial name: Aegypius monachus Distribution: Europe, Asia and Indian Subcontinent; Feeding habits: mainly carrion, rarely feeds on live prey;

Description The cinereous vulture is a large bird, The wingspan is 250 to 300 cm. The whole body is dark brown, except the head covered with brown down. The bare skin in the head and neck is bluish grey. The adult has brown eyes and a purplish cere. The bill is massive and is blue-gray in color. Their sounds and calls include grunts, croaks and hisses when feeding at carcasses.

Habitat The cinereous vultures inhabit hilly, mountainous areas, dry semi-open habitats such as meadows at high altitudes, steppe, grasslands and open woodlands.

Feeding habits These cinereous vulture species occasionally takes live prey. They soar high on the thermals to locate dead animals.

Breeding These cinereous vulture species breed during February and March. They breed in loose colonies in trees and cliff ledges. The nest is built with sticks and twigs. The egg clutch typically only a single egg. Both the parents take part in the rearing of the chick.

Distribution The cinereous vulture is distributed in France, Spain, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia, Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan, north India, northern Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Mongolia, China, North Korea and South Korea.

Movement Patterns

The adult cinereous vulture populations in the Europe are mostly sedentary. The populations in temperate Asia migrate southwards for wintering.