Diet of the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) after livestock reduction in Eastern Bulgaria

The diet of six Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus breeding pairs has been studied in E Bulgaria since the sharp decline of livestock husbandry. The feeding range was based on 1694 remains and included mainly mammals (67.5% +/- 7.3), birds (15.6% +/- 4.9) and reptiles (14.3% +/- 5.6). Domesticated mammals comprised 46.7% +/- 10.5 (range 31.8-58.2%) of the total diet, and wild mammals 20.8% +/- 14.7 (range 9.0-44.9%). When livestock numbers decreased in the Strandzha Mountains, the share. of livestock carrion and carnivore prey remains dropped in the vultures' diet. Vultures feeding shifted to scale reptiles. The occurrence of wild animals in vulture's diets differed between years, but the importance of domestic animals remained relatively constant (range 53.5-67.2%). Human food remains were the Main origin of livestock's bones (up to 87.5%). By contrast, in the open habitats of Mt Sakar and nearby the town of Varna, Egyptian vultures took more frequently carnivores and wild birds, and less ungulates and scale reptiles. An important part of the diet is formed by the small and medium sized wild animals, but overall their utilization was low. Young tortoises were taken alive to only one nest. The changes in the food availability and subsequent changes in diets were not the decisive factor for the extinction of the Egyptian vulture in the Strandzha Mountains and Mt Sakar.