The vulture is a silent bird, occasionally it is possible to hear its voice, reminiscent of the ringing of a bell.

Social behavior

The vulture settles in low mountains, as well as in the foothills, near hills, cliffs, pastures and human habitation. They live and nest in pairs, with an abundance of food they can form flocks. A pair of birds occupy the same nest from year to year.

Reproduction

They nest on the eaves of cliffs, in niches and small caves, in the walls of ravines, sometimes in ruins. They build a large nest with a diameter of up to 1 meter and already at the end of April - beginning of  May, the female lays, as a rule, 2 eggs covered with brown spots. Both parents take part in incubating the clutch, which lasts about 40 days.

Species and people

Since biblical times, this bird has been known as Raham, Alimosh or "Pharaoh's chicken." In ancient Egypt, the vulture was considered a symbol of parental love and respect for elders and was a sacred bird. Until now, punishment is imposed for the killing of this bird in Cairo. Since the second half of the twentieth century, there has been a catastrophic decline in the number of the species due to numerous factors of economic activity: the use of antibiotics, the use of pesticides in agriculture, the deliberate poisoning of scavengers. The vulture is one of the first hundred of the rarest and most vulnerable birds in the world.

Interesting Facts

The vulture is considered an intellectually developed bird, as it uses tools. In Africa, a bird often feeds on ostrich eggs: it chooses a heavier stone and throws it on an ostrich egg until it breaks.

These birds can often be found on the shores of water bodies, where they not only drink water, but also swim with pleasure.