{"id":12991,"date":"2020-01-31T12:20:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T10:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/4vultures.org\/?p=12991"},"modified":"2021-05-17T14:43:55","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T11:43:55","slug":"an-unlikely-pairing-ruppells-vulture-breeding-with-griffon-vulture-in-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/an-unlikely-pairing-ruppells-vulture-breeding-with-griffon-vulture-in-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"An unlikely pairing: R\u00fcppell’s Vulture breeding with Griffon Vulture in Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An adult R\u00fcppell’s Vulture carries nesting material to a Griffon Vulture breeding colony, Malaga, January 2020 (c) Noel Hohental<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

New evidence suggests two cases of a R\u00fcppell’s Vulture breeding with a Griffon Vulture in Spain. In two different Griffon Vulture breeding colonies in Spain, one pair was observed copulating, and in the other, an adult R\u00fcppell’s Vulture was collecting nesting material. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

R\u00fcppell’s Vulture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The R\u00fcppell’s Vulture (Gyps rueppelli<\/em>) is an African species whose distribution range is located in the equatorial and eastern areas of the continent. It resembles our Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus<\/em>), especially the juveniles and immature birds, being slightly smaller in size. The IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species considers it Critically Endangered, which is the last category before global extinction, due to the rapid declines of several populations across Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its declining state is mostly due to the successive and frequent mass poisonings in Africa, which are driving several species of African vultures to extinction. The Vulture Multi-species Action Plan (Vulture MsAP)<\/a>, co-developed by us here at the Vulture Conservation Foundation, and endorsed by the Convention for Migratory Species (CMS), concludes that poison is the biggest threat to vultures worldwide, and a significant part of this global action plan for vultures focuses on the actions needed to fight this threat. Unfortunately, experts foresee a rather bleak future in the short term if poisoning events keep occurring at this rate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

R\u00fcppell’s Vulture in Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In consequence, R\u00fcppell’s Vultures are becoming alarmingly scarce in Africa but, surprisingly, they are increasingly seen in Europe. This is probably due to increased mixings of individuals of this species with wintering juvenile Griffon Vultures in West Africa. A percentage of Europe’s growing population of Griffon Vultures winters in the Sahel zone of West Africa, where it will encounter some R\u00fcppell’s Vultures. When European Griffons start their migration north, they probably drag some African vultures with them, and with plenty of food in Europe, they are beginning to call our continent home. The species was recently added to Andaluc\u00eda’s list of vultures<\/a>, making it Europe’s 5th vulture species and one of the most threatened bird species in Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruppell’s Vulture breeding records in Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exceptionally, an adult R\u00fcppell’s Vulture remained at a Griffon Vulture breeding colony in southern Portugal between 1999 and 2007. Conservationist suspected that it attempted to breed, but there was no further information or confirmation regarding this assumption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, in recent years, at least one vulture showing mixed features of both R\u00fcppell’s and Griffon Vultures has been observed in Spain, further fuelling speculation that the two species hybridised in the wild, but again, nothing was proven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruppell’s Vulture and Griffon Vulture breeding 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, with the 2019\/20 Griffon Vulture breeding season already in motion, two different adult R\u00fcppell’s Vultures have been regarded as showing breeding behaviour in Griffon Vulture colonies in C\u00e1diz and M\u00e1laga respectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In C\u00e1diz, a male Griffon and a female R\u00fcppell’s Vulture were observed and filmed copulating in January 2020.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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