Egyptian Vulture in the UK!

I didn't see the last one and I am unlikely to see the current one.

The last Egyptian Vulture to occur in the UK was an immature bird at Peldon near Colchester in Essex on 28th September 1868 .... I wasn't around to add it to my UK and Essex lists 😀.

An Egyptian Vulture has now turned up on the Isles of Scilly although I am not intending to undertake a long and expensive trip to see it.

BBC News - Isles of Scilly: Egyptian Vulture seen in UK for first time in 150 years

BirdGuides - Egyptian Vulture arrives on Scilly

There are 4 species of vulture in Europe: Black Vulture (or Cinerous Vulture), Griffon Vulture, Egyptian Vulture and Bearded Vulture. I have been fortunate to see all 4 species on my trips to southern and eastern Europe.

I have seen Egyptian Vultures in the Parque Nacional de Monfragüe, Extremadura in Spain and in the eastern Rhodopes Mountains, Haskovo Province in Bulgaria. These 2 photos were taken in the eastern Rhodopes Mountains.

The Egyptian Vulture is a small Old World vulture. The adult's plumage is white with black flight feathers in the wings. Wild birds usually appear soiled with a rusty or brown shade to the white plumage which is derived from mud or iron-rich soil. The bill is slender and long and the tip of the upper mandible is hooked. The neck feathers are long and form a hackle. The wings are pointed and the tail is wedge shaped. 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.

The Egyptian Vulture is widely distributed across the Old World with their breeding range extending from southern Europe to northern Africa and east to western and southern Asia. 

Most Egyptian Vultures in the temperate zone migrate south to Africa in winter. Like many other large soaring migrants, they avoid making long crossings over water. Italian birds cross over through Sicily and into Tunisia making short sea crossings by passing through the islands of Marettimo and Pantelleria and those that migrate through the Iberian Peninsula cross into Africa over the Strait of Gibraltar while others cross further east through the Levant.

The Egyptian Vulture nests mainly on rocky cliffs and in large trees.

The Egyptian Vulture population has declined in most parts of their range due to hunting, accidental poisoning and collision with power lines and wind farms.

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