Vocal repertoire of the Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) in the central Apennines: a baseline assessment

ABSTRACT

The Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) represents an exception among the European accipitrids, as it forms highly populated colonies. Although it has been the subject of many studies, social interactions and intraspecific communication are still relatively unexplored. Because of its social habits, we hypothesise that the sound language of the griffon vulture is far more complex than previously believed; the ‘Social Intelligence Hypothesis’ could in fact be relevant to this species. In this study, we took as a model the vulture population of the central Apennines (Italy), comparing the vocalisations recorded in three different locations: (i) supplementary feeding station; (ii) nesting and roosting cliffs far from anthropogenic disturbance; (iii) nesting and roosting cliffs close to settlements and roads. The results obtained by 80 monitoring hours and 20 recording hours show an articulated vocal repertoire, characterised by 12 sound categories associated with different age groups and possibly to very specific behavioural contexts. The vocal repertoire is also marked in some cases by nonlinear phenomena revealing different degrees of behavioural complexity related to the expression of emotional states and social interactions. The next steps will focus on individual recognition mechanisms and the interactions with other species sharing part of the same ecological niche.

KEYWORDS:

• Gyps fulvus
• Eurasian griffon vulture
• vocal repertoire
• acoustic communication
• animal behaviour

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the personnel of Monte Velino Reserve and Nucleo Carabinieri Tutela Biodiversità Magliano de’ Marsi (L’Aquila province) for their logistic support and cooperation, and for giving Federico Romani and Elena Ramella Levis free access to record griffon vultures at the supplementary feeding station. The authors in particular thank Colonel Mauro Macino and Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park Director Luciano Sammarone for research permits. The authors further thank Professor Guido Masarotto of the University of Padua for his advice and Dr Fulvio Genero of Vulture Conservation Foundation for introducing us to the scientific personnel of Monte Velino Reserve. Finally, the authors thank the editor and the anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments and recommendations for improving the manuscript. This research project was financially supported by Eurafrica Conservation Projects non-profit organization and its donors.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).