Factors influencing the presence of the cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus at carcasses: food preferences and implications for the management of supplementary feeding sites

Abstract

We studied the factors that determine the presence of the cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus at 134 carcasses experimentally distributed in Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPA) in western and central Spain. Our goals were to assess the use of these carcasses and by‐products in order to find out the cinereous vulture's food preferences and thus provide recommendations for the management of specific vulture restaurants for this species. Our results suggest that the number of cinereous vultures that come to feed on the carcasses is related to the quantity of biomass present and to the types of pieces of the provided food. Cinereous vultures prefer individual, medium‐sized muscular pieces and small peripheral scraps of meat and tendon. The time that elapses before the cinereous vultures begin to consume a carcass depends on the biomass delivered, the number of pieces into which it is divided, and the type categories of the provided food. The population density of the species in our study area and the breeding stage seem to determine the time invested in feeding at the carcasses. These results may help managers to optimise the creation of vulture restaurants and favour their use by cinereous vultures.

Manipulating size, amount and appearance of food inputs to optimize supplementary feeding programs for European vultures

“…Since the griffon vulture monopolizes and exploits the greatest biomass of carrion provided at supplementary provisioning sites (Moreno-Opo et al, 2010;Cortés-Avizanda et al, 2010) the ratio between the occurrence of each vulture species and the griffon vulture was considered as a response variable to evaluate possible exclusion-competition mechanisms that may occur between the two groups in relation to explanatory variables.…”

“…Outside of the aforementioned knowledge on adaptations to scavenging, there are few studies in which the type and format of carrion selected by each species have been experimentally assessed within controlled observational conditions (Moreno-Opo et al, 2010). Moreover, no previous studies provide accurate information on the four vulture species together in sampling areas with sufficiently abundant populations Duriez et al, 2012).…”

Diversionary feeding: an effective management strategy for conservation conflict?

“…For example, the time taken for cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) to visit 'vulture restaurants' is reduced, and the number of visiting vultures increased, with a higher quantity of food available (Moreno-Opo et al 2010).…”

Linking sanitary and ecological requirements in the management of avian scavengers: effectiveness of fencing against mammals in supplementary feeding sites

“…Regardless questions arising from management issues, it is important to monitor the supplementary feeding measures arranged (Buckland et al 2005;Oro et al 2008) with regard to the presence of scavenger species, their relative abundance, their feeding selection patterns and the detection of possible conservation problems as human disturbances or the lack of available food in the surrounding areas (Cortés-Avizanda et al 2010;Moreno-Opo et al 2010). This could be essential if we aim to evaluate the efficacy of the implemented measures and, if necessary, modify certain aspects of the management protocols in order to increase the positive effects on target species (McCarthy and Possingham 2007).…”