HawkTalk Issue 94 Summer 2023

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HAWKTALK SUMMER 2023 ISSUE 94

Historic vulture chicks at the Trust! CONTINUED

Hooded Vultures, Vinnie and Nougat, with their first chick.

Vinnie and Nougat, two of our Hooded Vultures, successfully hatched their first chick together in an off-show aviary on 23 April. This was extra special, as National Bird of Prey Hospital™ Manager Cedric Robert, who is in charge of looking after this important pair, was told the news after just completing his London Marathon run! Vinnie, an experienced dad, came to live with Nougat at the Trust in 2018 in the hope that the pair would form a close relationship. They’ve spent their time getting to know each other in their secluded aviary and have formed a really strong bond. The Bird Team were thrilled to see the hatching of the new chick, captured on CCTV cameras to avoid disturbing the new parents. The Bird Team are happy to report the chick has been doing really well and is growing fast! It will soon be time for the chick to fledge the nest – we’ll be sure to keep you updated on it’s progress. The Hooded Vulture is the third Critically Endangered species of vulture that has hatched chicks here at the Trust, alongside African White-backed Vultures and White-headed Vultures.

Aside from being incredibly cute, these chicks are particularly precious. Many vulture populations are in decline, resulting in them being – overall – the most threatened group of birds globally. Of the 23 species of vultures in the world, more than 70% of them have an unfavourable conservation status, meaning that they’re at risk of extinction. These important birds are part of international breeding programmes that work to create healthy and safe populations of birds in collections, which could mean the survival of the species if they become extinct in the wild. The animals in collections can be key to repopulating the species numbers should their wild cousins disappear – and there are many examples where this has happened – so these breeding programmes are very important and really do work. With your continued support, we can continue to care for vultures both here at the Trust, and through our Conservation and Research projects with wild populations.