Neophron percnopterus
Silhouette: L. Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture in the monotypic genus Neophron. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, West Asia and India. The contrasting underwing pattern and wedge-shaped tail make it distinctive in flight as it soars in thermals during the warmer parts of the day. Egyptian vultures feed mainly on carrion but are opportunistic and will prey on small mammals, birds, and reptiles. They also feed on the eggs of other birds, breaking larger ones by tossing a large pebble onto them.
The use of tools is rare in birds and apart from the use of a pebble as a hammer, Egyptian vultures also use twigs to roll up wool for use in their nest. Egyptian vultures that breed in the temperate regions migrate south in winter while tropical populations are relatively sedentary. Populations of this species declined in the 20th century and some island populations are endangered by hunting, accidental poisoning, and collision with power lines.
The Egyptian vulture was formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Picos de Europa National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 2 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 4 | Keoladeo National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 5 | Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 6 | Bandhavgarh National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Chitwan National Park | 🇳🇵 Nepal | |
| 10 | Jim Corbett National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 11 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Satpura National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 13 | Tsavo East National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 14 | Ranthambore National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 15 | Serengeti National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 16 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 17 | Doñana National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 18 | Kanha National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 19 | Nagarhole National Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 20 | Tarangire National Park | 🇹🇿 Tanzania | |
| 21 | Masai Mara National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Egyptian Vulture sighting in Istanbul on a given day, based on 18 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 193rd most-seen of the 233 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Egyptian Vulture in Istanbul on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Egyptian Vulture sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
16th of 24
Of the 24 cities where we can rate Egyptian Vulture sightings, Istanbul ranks 16th at under 5%. The best odds are in Agra (India, about 60%), Kota (India, about 10%) and Bareilly (India, about 10%).
Same family: Accipitridae
The closest relatives of the Egyptian Vulture that you can see in Istanbul (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Eurasian Sparrowhawk (about 30%), Common Buzzard (about 30%) and Western Marsh-Harrier (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Egyptian Vulture is recorded against all the birds logged in Istanbul (18 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
