Egyptian vulture
Scientific name: Neophron percnopterus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Overview
The Egyptian vulture, also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture in the monotypic genus Neophron. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa, West Asia and India. The contrasting underwing pattern and wedge-shaped tail make it distinctive in flight as it soars in thermals during the warmer parts of the day. Egyptian vultures feed mainly on carrion but are opportunistic and will prey on small mammals, birds, and reptiles. They also feed on the eggs of other birds, breaking larger ones by tossing a large pebble onto them.
From the Wikipedia article “Egyptian vulture”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 94 g |
| Adult weight | 1.98 kg |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa; Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China); Southern Asia.
Common names
Names in other languages (13)
- Arabic
- رخمة
- Chinese
- 白兀鹫
- French
- Percnoptère, Percnoptère d'Égypte, Percnoptère d’Égypte, Vautour percnoptère
- German
- Schmutzgeier
- Hindi
- सफ़ेद गिद्ध
- Indonesian
- Hering Mesir
- Japanese
- エジプトハゲワシ
- Persian
- کرکس کوچک
- Portuguese
- abutre-do-egipto, Abutre-do-egito, britango
- Russian
- Обыкновенный стервятник, Стервятник
- Spanish
- Alimoche común
- Turkish
- Mısır akbabası
- Urdu
- مصری گدھ
Related animals
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q33504, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Egyptian vulture”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Saswat Mishra, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — L. Shyamal, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026