It mainly eats carrion. The species’ diet also includes small animals with backbones and eggs.
Egyptian vulture
Neophron percnopterus
gogopopo · GardabaniGeorgia field photo
A breeding and migratory scavenging bird in Georgia. Nesting was confirmed by field monitoring in Eagle Canyon, Vashlovani. Adults are white with black flight feathers; young birds are dark. Globally Endangered (EN).
Key facts in one look
- Status in Georgia
- Breeder and migrant
- Confirmed breeding site
- Eagle Canyon, Kakheti
- Wingspan
- 155–180 cm
- Diet
- Mainly carrion
- Conservation
- Global EN; legal Georgian list VU
Neophron percnopterus is a small bird in the eagle family that feeds on carrion. It nests in Georgia and is also seen during migration; nesting has been confirmed in Eagle Gorge in Vashlovani, Kakheti. Adults have a white body, black flight feathers, a yellow face and a tail that narrows toward the tip; young birds are darker. Its wingspan is about 155–180 cm. It is at risk of extinction worldwide. Georgia’s 2024 national scientific assessment also places it at this level of risk, although the country’s current legal Red List places it in a lower risk category.
Identification
Egyptian vulture: how to identify it
From below, an adult of this species clearly shows a white body and black flight feathers. Up close, its bare yellow facial skin is also visible. A young bird is brown and much darker than an adult. Both adults and young birds are small compared with other vultures and have wedge-shaped tails.
An adult has a white body, black flight feathers, a yellow face, and a slender, wedge-shaped tail.
A young bird has dark brown feathers. It does not yet have the adult’s striking black and white coloring. Its feathers gradually lighten as it approaches adulthood. Color alone is not enough to identify a young bird—look at its body shape and tail, which narrows toward the tip.
Gyps fulvus is much larger, with a pale sandy body and broad wings. An adult Egyptian vulture has a white body, and black feathers stand out on its wings. Aegypius monachus is entirely dark and also much larger. Gypaetus barbatus has a long, diamond-shaped tail and narrow wings; adults often have a rust-colored body and a black “beard.” To identify a dark young Egyptian vulture, look at its size and tail shape as well as its color.
In Georgia, the species has been recorded in Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Samtskhe-Javakheti and Shida Kartli. Nesting has been confirmed only in Eagle Gorge Natural Monument, within the Vashlovani Protected Areas in Kakheti. In 2023, three pairs were recorded in this gorge; two of them each fledged one chick. The species looks for food in open, often dry areas and nests on cliffs. It has also been recorded during migration in western Georgia, including near Batumi in autumn.
Recorded (photo observations)field records
Too few records · 3
The Egyptian vulture map uses public iNaturalist observations from Georgia together with editorial photo records. Regions come from the records-by-region table: only regions with enough records are shaded on the map; other regions have too few records. Record counts reflect observation effort, not population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
Interactive map is loading.
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with records
The Egyptian vulture is migratory. In the northern part of the areas where it nests, it is found mainly from March to September. It usually starts nesting in April. It sits on its eggs for about 42 days, and the chick leaves the nest about 70–90 days after hatching. In Ardzivi Gorge, two pairs were sitting on eggs in May 2023, and each pair raised one chick that left the nest in July.
Globally, this bird is assessed as endangered. Georgia’s 2014 legal Red List places it in category VU, D1 because of its small population. A 2024 scientific assessment considers it endangered in Georgia. The legal and scientific assessments differ, but the newer scientific assessment does not automatically change the legal Red List. Threats documented internationally include poisoning, deaths on power transmission lines, and illegal killing.
gogopopo · Gardabani
gogopopo · Gardabani
Attila Steiner · Dedoplistskaro
Stefan C · Dedoplistskaro
gogopopo · Attila Steiner · Stefan C · Jean-Louis Carlo · Giorgi Iankoshvili · tvp · Gernot Kunz
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Egyptian vulture.
According to 2024 data, this species breeds in Georgia and is also seen during migration. Its breeding in Eagle Gorge in Vashlovani has been directly confirmed.
In Eagle Gorge, in the Vashlovani Protected Areas, Kakheti.
Its black flight feathers stand out against its white body. Its tail is wedge-shaped. Up close, its bare yellow face is also visible.
No. A young bird is mostly dark brown and gradually becomes lighter as it ages. Do not identify a dark bird by its color alone.
The wingspan of this species is approximately 155–180 cm.
From spring to autumn. It nests in Georgia and is also seen during migration. It has also been recorded migrating near Batumi in autumn.
The 2014 legal list records VU, D1. A 2024 scientific list assesses the national status as EN, but this does not automatically change the legal listing.
References
What this profile is based on
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Prepared by the Reptiles.ge editorial team from the sources listed here.
