Amelia and I hike up to a vulture’s nest overlooking camp, and find that it is occupied by a baby vulture.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Rich Reading, of the Denver Zoo, who identified this vulture as a Cinerous vulture. Rich is part of a research program that tracks the birds.

Info from http://www.wildlifeextra.com/cinerous-vultures.html :

Cinereous vultures, also called Eurasian black vultures, are the largest raptors in Eurasia, and boast an impressive 8- to 9-foot wing span. These vultures are considered ‘vulnerable to extinction’ in Europe by the World Conservation Union. Current estimates put the global population at about 4-6,000 individuals. These impressive birds breed in mountainous and steppe areas from Spain to Mongolia and south to the Himalayas. They have been spotted on Mount Everest at altitudes of up to 23,000 feet.

Mongolia supports the world’s largest remaining breeding population of cinereous vultures, possibly more than 75% of the world’s population of these vultures, which are declining everywhere else. Hunting, poisoning, loss of nesting habitat, human disturbance of nesting sites and food scarcity are taking a toll on these surprisingly graceful birds.

Wildlife biologists with the Denver Zoo and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences have been studying the nesting ecology of cinereous vultures in Mongolia’s Ikh Nart Nature Reserve since 2003, with Earthwatch support. As part of their research, they have been placing leg bands on young vultures just before they fledge, and in 2005 began attaching large wing tags that were originally developed for California condors. Mongolian and Denver Zoo biologists initiated the study to better understand the factors influencing nesting success in the hopes of conserving the species and facilitate recovery in other portions of its range.