Aegypius occipitalis | SANBI Sensitive Species

Assessor: Melissa Whitecross

Other assessors

Sarah Schumann

Sensitive in 2010

Family

Accipitridae

Reason for the sensitivity status

This species is undergoing several threats including exploitation for international trade which is causing population decline. Sightings records of these birds on carcasses and flying over-head will be unlikely to have a negative impact on their well-being, however, we are of the opinion that specific details on nesting sites of these birds should be sensitised and only released at a pentad/QDGS scale.

This species is extremely rare in the wild and is known to be exploited, utilised or traded. The localities of remaining populations need to be protected to avoid any further exploitation, which is likely to drive it to extinction.

Exploitation extent

Significant - wild individuals of the species are known to be exploited, collected, traded or utilized in a targeted manner, and utilisation is widespread, affects the majority of wild populations and/or is causing rapid decline of the wild population.

Justification and references

This species is Critically Endangered as it is declining at a rapid rate due to several threats of food source reduction, habitat loss, poisoning, and exploitation for the international trade in raptors (BirdLife International, 2022). In 2005, individuals of this species were confiscated (BirdLife International, 2022). Evidence of exploitation of this species in KwaZulu-Natal exists (McKean et al. 2013), however, the distribution of this species across its range is largely confined to protected areas, thus reducing the risk of direct harvesting to some extent (Murn et al. 2016).

References:

BirdLife International (2022) Species factsheet: Trigonoceps occipitalis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 29/05/2022.

McKean, S., Mander, M., Diederichs, N., Ntuli, L., Mavundla, K., Williams, V. and Wakelin, J., 2013. The impact of traditional use on vultures in South Africa. Vulture News, 65, pp.15-36.

Murn, C., Mundy, P., Virani, M.Z., Borello, W.D., Holloway, G.J. and Thiollay, J.M., 2016. Using Africa's protected area network to estimate the global population of a threatened and declining species: a case study of the Critically Endangered White‐headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis. Ecology and evolution, 6(4), pp.1092-1103.

Population vulnerability

Population is vulnerable: size is <= 2500 mature individuals OR the number of known subpopulations is <= 5 OR range is <= 100km² OR species at risk of localised extinctions

Justification and references

The current population estimate for South Africa's White-headed Vulture population is less than 200 individuals with roughly 80 breeding pairs (Murn et al. 2013). This population is almost completely confined to the protected areas in the lowveld on the north-eastern boundary of South Africa (Murn et al. 2013).

References:

Murn, C., Combrink, L., Ronaldson, G.S., Thompson, C. and Botha, A., 2013. Population estimates of three vulture species in Kruger National Park, South Africa. Ostrich, 84(1), pp.1-9.

Targeted demographics

Mature (breeding) individuals are killed, significantly weakened or are permanently removed from the wild, OR immature individuals are targeted and this significantly impacts mature (breeding) individuals.

Regeneration potential

This species has a slow population growth rate, or the growth rate varies depending on habitat, and there is a poor chance the wild populations will recover from exploitation OR a collector might feasibly harvest the entire extant population removing the chance of subsequent recruitment.

Justification and references

No breeding records have ever been reported outside of protected areas suggesting that this species is particularly sensitive to human disturbance (Murn et al. 2016). Breeding rates are slow and the fragmented nature of the current White-headed Vulutre population is likely to contribute to decreased breeding attempts (Murn et al. 2016).

References:

Reference file

White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) - BirdLife species factsheet.pdf182.55 KB