The Cinereous Vulture is a rare passage migrant or winter visitor in the Middle East. Still, it was recently spotted somewhere it was never seen before – flying over Jordan’s Azarq Wetlands Reserve.
Cinereous Vulture observation at Azraq Wetland Reserve
The Cinereous Vulture was observed several times before in Jordanian skies, but this is the first time the bird was sighted in the eastern wetland region of the country.
The Azraq Wetland Reserve has observed and watched a Cinereous Vulture soaring above the reserve. It was an individual trying to land searching for food to refuel, but it did not perch in the end, according to Hazem Khreisha, the Azraq Wetland Reserve Manager. The reserve is one of the most important migratory stations in Jordan and the region with more than 350 bird species recorded in Azraq, representing two-thirds of the 434 Jordanian bird species.
Vultures in Jordan
According to The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), the Cinereous Vulture is a scarce migratory bird in Jordan, and there was no observation in the area of Azraq before. There are three vultures species recorded in Jordan: the Egyptian Vulture, Cinereous Vulture, and Griffon Vulture. Only the Griffon Vulture is breeding in the southern rift margins of Jordan.
