Rüppell's Vultures tagged in northern Morocco

A number of Rüppell's Vultures have been tagged in northern Morocco this summer, including six birds with GPS trackers.

It is hoped that the birds will provide scientists with valuable data on the movements of this Critically Endangered species which, like other African vultures, has declined dramatically in recent decades due to relentless poisoning, poaching and habitat-loss pressures inflicted by man.

Several Rüppell's Vultures have been wing tagged in northern Morocco this summer in order to study their movements (GREPOM / BirdLife Morocco). 

The species breeds widely across sub-Saharan Africa, from West Africa east to Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan. Recent population estimates suggest that as few as 22,000 individuals remain across its range, with numbers still declining. Despite this downward trend, it has been detected in the Western Palearctic – especially Iberia – with increasing regularity since the 1990s, this likely in part due to increased awareness among birders (mainly identification skills, but also improved photography) as well as a reflecting a genuine upturn in occurrence.

Along with southern Spain, northern Morocco is one such area where Rüppell's Vulture is now detected in numbers annually, with birds often located among large flocks of Griffon Vultures waiting for suitable weather to cross the Strait of Gibraltar, or simply loitering in the area during the summer months. Rather than an example of vagrancy, this seems to be a genuine annual northward dispersal of young Rüppell's, and it is hoped that the GPS-tagged individuals will shed more light on their lives as they mature – for example, their departure and arrival dates in Europe, nesting and wintering sites, as well as the stopover areas during the migration period.

The tagging project commenced in June at the Vulture Rehabilitation Centre at Jbel Moussa, situated on the Moroccan side of the Strait. On 19 June, three Rüppell's Vultures were successfully caught for tagging. Each was fitted with numbered wing tags, provided by GREPOM (BirdLife Morocco), and two were given GPS trackers that had been supplied by AMFCR (Moroccan Association for Falconry and Raptors). The vultures were released immediately after processing and, as of the end of June, each was still in the Jbel Moussa area.

Then, on 27 August, a further four Rüppell's Vultures were tagged at the Vulture Rehabilitation Centre. Two of these birds had been found in a weakened state and were rehabilitated, while the other two were healthy birds trapped for tagging purposes. All four were fitted with wing tags and GPS trackers.

One of four Rüppell's Vultures fitted with wing tags and GPS transmitters on 27 August 2020 (AMFCR / Moroccan Association for Falconry and Raptors).

This tagging campaign will continue until mid-September, when the vultures return to their native areas in sub-Saharan Africa. The results gathered from the GPS trackers will be published at a later date.

Find out more at www.grepom.org/vautours-maroc and the AMFCR Facebook page.