HawkTalk Issue 95 Winter 2023

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HAWKTALK WINTER 2023 ISSUE 95

We wanted to investigate three main research areas by: 1. Finding out where Hooded Vultures like to nest, and why. 2. Determining how successful they are at breeding in different areas and why. 3. Finding out an estimate population size. To find out the answers, our Conservation & Research team headed to Africa to carry out work in the field. Since 2016, the team have: • carried out river channel characterisations at 36 sites, covering more than 30 km around Hooded Vulture nests, • collected data on breeding productivity at 75 Hooded Vulture nest sites, • collected a lot of information about Hooded Vulture nests, their trees, and information about their setting, • carried out road transects to try and determine the population size in Kruger • published two research papers on Hooded Vulture ecology and behaviour.

Our research papers on this project so far detail: • Several instances of talon-grappling behaviour, where two birds lock talons whilst in flight (a sighting not recorded before in Hooded Vultures!) • Observations of Hooded Vulture nest sites • Impacts of the presence of other animals in the nests, including predators who look to take eggs and chicks This research is another important step to help plan how to conserve important Hooded Vulture nesting sites. These papers can be found on our website, and we have plans to publish more work now that fieldwork has finished in the area. We still have much to do to analyse and publish the remaining data from the years of fieldwork the team have collected. We can’t wait to share these updates with you when we can!

Hooded Vulture chick with parent sighted in Kruger National Park

Hooded Vulture chick observed during nest survey

Dr. Campbell Murn carrying out river surveys.

The project was started in collaboration with the Birds of Prey Programme of South Africa’s Endangered Wildlife Trust, the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania in the USA.