Nest material selection by Egyptian vulture Neophron percnopterus

Abstract

Searching for nest material and to prepare a home for the young one is a natural instinct and an important task in the life cycle of every animal taxon like birds, fish, mice, squirrels etc. They use specific materials depending upon their mechanical and structural properties and are highly selective and with a strong sense of innate tendency to use the type of nest materials for their nest construction. Here we describe the materials preferred by the Egyptian Vultures for making the nest. In the present study, we identified 15 different materials from the different layers of the nest of Egyptian Vulture in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh. Mesquite sticks, human faeces, cow dung etc. formed the building materials of the outer structural layer. Similarly, in the inner lining materials we observed clothes, jute, linen, cotton, threads etc. Out of these 15 materials the Hosiery clothes were found maximum (42.61%) and threads were observed minimum (0.42%) respectively. The study will establish a baseline on Nest material selection choice by the Egyptian Vultures. From the study it can be inferred that during the nest building process, the hard and sharp materials appeared to be the most effective material for the protection of nest against predators.