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. © 2010 Wildlife Biology.