Aegypius monachus, commonly called the Cinereous Vulture, Black Vulture, Monk Vulture, or Eurasian Black Vulture, is a diurnal raptor from the family Accipitridae.
It is also one of the two largest Old World Vultures.
🗒 Synonyms
| No Data |
🗒 Common Names
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| Gujarati |
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| Hindi |
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| Lepcha |
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| Malayalam |
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📚 Overview
Summary
Bird group
Kites, hawks and eagles
No Data
📚 Nomenclature and Classification
References
Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)'. Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.URL: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175494. Accessed on 24th February, 2012.
No Data
📚 Natural History
Reproduction
Season: March to April in India.
Parental investment: Both sexes cooperate in all aspects of rearing of the young.
Nest: An enormous platform of sticks, usually built on a high tree. Most nesting trees are found along cliffs. On average, nests are 1.45–2 m (4.8–6.6 ft) across and 1–3 m (3.3–9.8 ft) deep in size. They increase in size over the years, however, as a pair uses it repeatedly. It is often decorated with dung and animal skins.
Clutch size: 1. In rare cases, 2 eggs may be laid.
Eggs: Sometimes pure white in colour, mostly white but marked with deep red, brown or purplish brown.
Incubation period: 50–56 days.
Fledgelings: Semi-altrical.
Size
Relative Size (Birds)
Vulture±
Morphology
Very large in size, adults are black or blackish brown in colour. Their head is partially naked with crown, occipit, cheeks and lores covered with fur-like feathers. While their naked pinkish neck has a pale brown ruff. Fleshy wattles absent. Broad, parallel-edged wings held flat while soaring. A pale band may be seen across greater underwing coverts.
Sexes alike.
Juveniles blacker and more uniform than adults.
Behaviour
Largely solitary being found alone or in pairs. At large carcasses or feeding sites, small groups may congregate. These groups may sometimes consist of as many as 12 vultures, with unconfirmed reports of up to 30 in very old reports.
Cinereous Vultures are usually silent. Their voice is rarely used and unspecialised.
Calls may include croaks, grunts, and hisses when feeding at carcasses; also querulous mewing, loud squalling or roaring during breeding season.
Trophic Strategy
Its diet consists mainly of carrion from medium-sized or large mammal carcasses, although snakes and insects have been recorded as food items. Live prey is rarely taken.
Occassionally believed to feed on live tortoises. The birds drop the tortoises from heights and extract the tortoise flesh from under the carapace.
No Data
📚 Habitat and Distribution
General Habitat
Habitat
Terrestrial
They are habitant of open savannah and semi-desert country.
A. Global:
Landmass Type: Continent
Habitat systems: Terrestrial.
Forest Dependency: Low.
Altitude: 300 - 4500 m.
Altitudinal limits: (max) 4900 m.
General Habitats: Forest - Temperate; Shrubland - Mediterranean-type Shrubby Vegetation; Grassland - Temperate, Subtropical/Tropical Dry.
Breeding Habitats: Forest - Temperate; Grassland - Subtropical/tropical (lowland) dry, Temperate; Shrubland - Mediterranean-type.
B. In India:
Open Savannah and semi-desert country.
Description
Global Distribution
India
Distribution In India
Resident in Himalayas. Occasional vagrant to the peninsula down to Maharashtra (Satara) and Kerala
Distribution In Assam
Migratory in Assam (Orang NP, Dhakuakhana area, near Saikhowaghat at the edge of Dibru-Saikhowa NP, Pani Dihing BS, near Choraikhola of Kokrajhar district, Kaziranga NP, Guwahati city)
Distribution size (in km2): 13700000.
Global Range: Central & South Palearctic.
Indian Subcontinent Range: Afghanistan, Baluchistan, Pakistan, NWFP, NW India to Bhutan, SW Kashmir, Cachar, C Bangladesh
No Data
📚 Occurrence
No Data
📚 Demography and Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Category
Near Threatened
IUCN Redlist Status: Near Threatened
Red List Category & Criteria: Near Threatened (ver 3.1)
Year Published: 2008
Assessor/s: BirdLife International
Reviewer/s: Taylor, J., Butchart, S., Pople, R., Burfield, I.
Contributor/s: Baral, H., Katzner, T., Burfield, I., Yasmeen, R., Batbayar, N., Khan, A., Galushin, V., McGrady, M., Fremuth, W., Parveen, A., Brunner, A.
Threats
The two main threats to the species are direct mortality caused by humans (either accidentally or deliberately) and decreasing availability of food.
Humans hunt nests for eggs and birds for feathers. They also poison these birds to prevent predation related damages. The veterinary application of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac, which has caused the near-extinction of several Gyps vultures in India, may have a negative impact on A. monachus.
Legislation
CITES Status
Appendix II
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) India Listed Species:Yes. Appendix:II.
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) Global Listed Species:Yes. Appendix:II.
AEWA (Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds) Listed Species:Yes. Appendix:II.
IWPA (Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972) Listed Species:Yes. IWPA (Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972) Schedule:IV.
No Data
📚 Uses and Management
📚 Information Listing
References
- Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A., 2016. Checklist of the birds of India (v1.1). Website: http://www.indianbirds.in/india/ [Date of publication: 03 October, 2016].
- Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A., 2018. Checklist of the birds of India (v2.0). Website: http://www.indianbirds.in/india/ [Date of publication: 31 January, 2018].
- 'Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus)'. The Internet Bird Collection. 1st January 2012. URL: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/eurasian-black-vulture-aegypius-monachus
- 'Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)'. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2012.URL:http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/106003380/0
- 'Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)'. Denis Lepage, Bird Checklists of the World, Avibase and Bird Links to the World. URL: http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=158BDC90F07DF1D2. Accessed on April 2nd, 2012.
- 'List of Common Names, CMS Appendices I and II – February 2012.' CITES Secretariat. URL: http://www.cms.int/pdf/en/CMS_Species_6lng.pdf
- 'Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)'BirdLife International (2012) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/04/2012.URL:http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3380
- 'Endemic Birds'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=774. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'CITES species database'. UNEP-WCMC. 17 April, 2012. UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. URL: http://www.unep-wcmc-apps.org/isdb/CITES/Taxonomy/fa_user.cfm#appendix
- 'List of birds of Tamil Nadu'. Wikipedia. Last modified on 27 December 2011. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27th March, 2012.
- 'Statewise list of Birds of India'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=722. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- Ali, Salim. 'The book of Indian Birds'. Bombay Natural History Society, 2002. 13: Plate 15, Page 105.
- 'Migratory birds of India'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=31313. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'CITES'. Wikipedia. Last modified on 17 April 2012 at 15:16. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27th March, 2012. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CITES.
- 'Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)'. Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.URL: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175494. Accessed on 24th February, 2012.
- 'Appendices I, II and III'. UNEP-WCMC. 17 April, 2012. UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. URL: http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php
- Cinereous Vulture. (2012, December 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 08:45, January 2, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cinereous_Vulture&oldid=528421462
- 'Vernacular Names of Birds of the Indian Subcontinent'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/Vernacular%20Names%20of%20Birds.html. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended upto 1993)'. URL: http://envfor.nic.in/legis/wildlife/wildlife1.html
- Encyclopedia of Life. Available from http://www.eol.org. Accessed 15 Dec 2012.
- '<i>Aegypius monachus</i> (Linnaeus, 1766)'. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2012.URL:http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/106003380/0
- 'Eurasian Black Vulture (<i>Aegypius monachus</i>)'. The Internet Bird Collection. 1st January 2012. URL: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/eurasian-black-vulture-aegypius-monachus
- '<i>Aegypius monachus</i> (Linnaeus, 1766)'. Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.URL: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175494. Accessed on 24th February, 2012.
- '<i>Aegypius monachus</i> (Linnaeus, 1766)'. Denis Lepage, Bird Checklists of the World, Avibase and Bird Links to the World. URL: http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=158BDC90F07DF1D2. Accessed on April 2nd, 2012.
- '<i>Aegypius monachus</i> (Linnaeus, 1766)'BirdLife International (2012) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/04/2012.URL:http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3380
Information Listing > References
- Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A., 2016. Checklist of the birds of India (v1.1). Website: http://www.indianbirds.in/india/ [Date of publication: 03 October, 2016].
- Praveen J., Jayapal, R., & Pittie, A., 2018. Checklist of the birds of India (v2.0). Website: http://www.indianbirds.in/india/ [Date of publication: 31 January, 2018].
- 'Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus)'. The Internet Bird Collection. 1st January 2012. URL: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/eurasian-black-vulture-aegypius-monachus
- 'Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)'. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2012.URL:http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/106003380/0
- 'Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)'. Denis Lepage, Bird Checklists of the World, Avibase and Bird Links to the World. URL: http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=158BDC90F07DF1D2. Accessed on April 2nd, 2012.
- 'List of Common Names, CMS Appendices I and II – February 2012.' CITES Secretariat. URL: http://www.cms.int/pdf/en/CMS_Species_6lng.pdf
- 'Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)'BirdLife International (2012) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/04/2012.URL:http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3380
- 'Endemic Birds'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=774. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'CITES species database'. UNEP-WCMC. 17 April, 2012. UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. URL: http://www.unep-wcmc-apps.org/isdb/CITES/Taxonomy/fa_user.cfm#appendix
- 'List of birds of Tamil Nadu'. Wikipedia. Last modified on 27 December 2011. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27th March, 2012.
- 'Statewise list of Birds of India'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=722. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- Ali, Salim. 'The book of Indian Birds'. Bombay Natural History Society, 2002. 13: Plate 15, Page 105.
- 'Migratory birds of India'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/forms/subjectwiselist.aspx?lid=31313. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'CITES'. Wikipedia. Last modified on 17 April 2012 at 15:16. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 27th March, 2012. URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CITES.
- 'Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766)'. Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.URL: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175494. Accessed on 24th February, 2012.
- 'Appendices I, II and III'. UNEP-WCMC. 17 April, 2012. UNEP-WCMC Species Database: CITES-Listed Species. URL: http://www.cites.org/eng/app/appendices.php
- Cinereous Vulture. (2012, December 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 08:45, January 2, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cinereous_Vulture&oldid=528421462
- 'Vernacular Names of Birds of the Indian Subcontinent'. BNHS ENVIS Centre on Avian Ecology. URL: http://bnhsenvis.nic.in/Vernacular%20Names%20of%20Birds.html. Accessed on 25th March, 2012.
- 'The Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended upto 1993)'. URL: http://envfor.nic.in/legis/wildlife/wildlife1.html
- Encyclopedia of Life. Available from http://www.eol.org. Accessed 15 Dec 2012.
- '<i>Aegypius monachus</i> (Linnaeus, 1766)'. IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 02 May 2012.URL:http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/106003380/0
- 'Eurasian Black Vulture (<i>Aegypius monachus</i>)'. The Internet Bird Collection. 1st January 2012. URL: http://ibc.lynxeds.com/species/eurasian-black-vulture-aegypius-monachus
- '<i>Aegypius monachus</i> (Linnaeus, 1766)'. Ruggiero M., Gordon D., Bailly N., Kirk P., Nicolson D. (2011). The Catalogue of Life Taxonomic Classification, Edition 2, Part A. In: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist (Bisby F.A., Roskov Y.R., Orrell T.M., Nicolson D., Paglinawan L.E., Bailly N., Kirk P.M., Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D., eds). DVD; Species 2000: Reading, UK.URL: http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=175494. Accessed on 24th February, 2012.
- '<i>Aegypius monachus</i> (Linnaeus, 1766)'. Denis Lepage, Bird Checklists of the World, Avibase and Bird Links to the World. URL: http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/species.jsp?lang=EN&avibaseid=158BDC90F07DF1D2. Accessed on April 2nd, 2012.
- '<i>Aegypius monachus</i> (Linnaeus, 1766)'BirdLife International (2012) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 16/04/2012.URL:http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/speciesfactsheet.php?id=3380
Urban biodiversity: an insight into the terrestrial vertebrate diversity of Guwahati, India
Jo
Journal of Threatened TaxaAn annotated checklist of the birds of upper Chenab catchment, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Jo
Journal of Threatened TaxaAvifauna of Chamba District, Himachal Pradesh, India with emphasis on Kalatop-Khajjiar Wildlife Sanctuary and its surroundings
Jo
Journal of Threatened TaxaFirst record of Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus (Falconiformes: Accipitridae) from southern Rajasthan, India
Jo
Journal of Threatened TaxaNo Data
🐾 Taxonomy
| Root | Root |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Chordata |
| Class | Aves |
| Order | Accipitriformes |
| Family | Accipitridae |
| Genus | Aegypius |
| Species | Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus 1766) |
📊 Temporal Distribution
📷 Related Observations
👥 Groups
