Eurasian Griffon and Cinereous Vulture in the Red Book of Kazakhstan!

Today, September 2, on International Scavenger Bird Awareness Day, we will look at several species of scavengers living in Kazakhstan. Let's talk about what threats affect them and what should be done first of all to conserve them.

Griffon Vulture is one of the largest scavenger species belonging to the genus Vulture. Their global population ranges from 80,000-900,000 sexually mature individuals (2022, Vulture Conservation Foundation).

Eurasian Griffon has a large breeding range extending across Europe and the Middle East. It is found from India to Portugal and Spain in the west, including some island colonies in the Mediterranean (Sardinia, Crete, Cyprus and recently – in Majorca), as well as the Kvarner archipelago in Croatia. The range includes Turkey, the Crimean Peninsula, and the Caucasus (Katzner et al., 2004), as well as Central Asia. (Katzner et al., 2004) and Central Asia.

Griffon Vulture © Karyakin I.V.

For a long time, Griffon Vulture was erroneously considered a common species in Kazakhstan. According to scientists' calculations, in 2012 the number of vultures in Kazakhstan was estimated at 80-100, maximum 150 pairs (Sklyarenko, Katzner, 2012). In the last few decades, the number of this species in our country has sharply decreased. Several reasons could have influenced such an outcome:

• unintentional poisoning by poison baits;
• unintentional poisoning with veterinary drugs - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (diclofenac, ketoprofen);
• reducing the number of pets and increasing owners' control over their losses.

The Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) is a large scavenger, with a wingspan of 2.5-3 meters. These birds weigh between 7 and 12 kilograms. The world population of vultures is 16,800-22,800 sexually mature individuals (2022, Vulture Conservation Foundation). In Kazakhstan, its regular nesting area is limited to the low spurs and main ridges of the Tien Shan.

Cinereous Vulture. Photo: I. Karyakin

There is a decrease in the number of Cinereous Vulture since the beginning of the 20th century. But the main problem is that the reliable number of species is currently unknown. The reason is the lack of targeted studies of its population in our country.

The main problem of vulture conservation in Kazakhstan is the insufficient study of the biology, ecology and migration of the birds and, as a consequence, the threats that affect the birds during all periods of their lives. It is important to conduct targeted research on vultures, but above all it is necessary that the species be under state protection.

It is worth noting that Cinereous Vulture is considered Near Threatened (NT) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and in Kazakhstan it is not even listed in the Red Book.

We consider the inclusion of Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus) and Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) в Красную книгу Республики Казахстан.