Long-distance Exploratory Dispersal of an Immature Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) from the Balkans

Dispersal, a behavior typical of several raptor species has important implications for population genetics and demographic processes, including the capacity for recolonization, (meta) population persistence and breeding output. Many raptor species are migratory and return to reproduce in a territory close to their natal area where they have fledged (natal philopatry). The Egyptian vulture is the smallest of the four vulture species breeding in Europe and the only one that migrates. Here we describe the first case of long-distance exploratory dispersal of an immature Egyptian vulture from the Balkans across three continents. To accomplish this extreme long-distance exploratory dispersal, Dobromir crossed 23 countries in 168 days, covering more than 30,000 km (mean 179km/day).