Egyptian Vulture

Neophron percnopterus

Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Presence in the Strait: Seasonal
Abundance: common
Protection in Spain: In danger of extinction · Andalusian Catalogue
In Spanish: Alimoche común

53% of its open observations in the area are from September.

Photograph: Kudaibergen Amirekul, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist

Length: 60–70 cm
Wingspan: 158–163 cm
Weight: 1,900 g

Presence in the Strait

Common summer visitor (19 pairs in 2000), more visible during migration (>1,000 post. migr.). Population falling sharply, over 60% in the last 30 years.

Identification

White with bare yellowish head. In flight, wings with white leading edge and black trailing edge and primaries, and wedge-shaped tail. Juveniles acquire adult plumage in their fifth year.

Movements

Migration peaks in 2nd hf. March and 1st hf. September.

Ring recoveries

Spain (2) and France (1).

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

53 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 9.0 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

Sensitive species (cliff nest, exposed to plundering and disturbance): its observations are shown with the location generalised to about 11 km, here and in the explorer. The original source keeps the exact position.

First open record: 20 April 1905
Latest record: 8 April 2026

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: In danger of extinction
Spanish Catalogue: Vulnerable (Península y Baleares) · In danger of extinction (Canarias)
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: EN · Endangered (Canary Islands) · breeding
Global Red List (IUCN): EN · Endangered

Plan: AVES NECRÓFAGAS · Annex I of the Birds Directive

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

1990–1999

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Where they come from

3 birds ringed in other countries and recovered in the area.

Spain2
France1

See the journey on the map

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
GBIF taxon key: 2480696

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Kudaibergen Amirekul, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Egyptian Vulture

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Ring recoveries

Gallery