As every year, the first phase of the breeding season of the Egyptian vultures hosted at CERM is the formation of couples: a delicate and complex choice that is made on the basis of the “history” of each specimen.
Unfortunately, in fact, it happens very rarely that a male and a female placed in the same aviary “like each other” and successfully complete the reproduction or at least only the laying of the eggs.
It may happen that the two partners ignore each other or that they develop aggressive attitudes even before starting the mating phase or when this is already in progress.
These are undoubtedly problems that come with the fact that these intelligent birds do not adapt well to life in the aviary, which prevents them from choosing their “voluntary” partner and a whole series of behaviors that they adopt in nature during the reproductive period such as courtship flights and territorial defense.
From these problematic “couple relationships” come the need to artificially incubate the eggs, so as not to risk their integrity.
In January 2020, the experts of the CERM Association defined the couples on the basis of the specimens available and suitable for mating and placed them in the aviaries.
At the beginning of March they will prepare, in each aviary, an essential nest made of straw and sheep’s wool (washed and carded), which the willing Egyptian vultures will then perfect themselves.
Sheep wool is available in large quantity thanks to the collaboration of those who live, throughout the year or in the summer, in Rocchette di Fazio (GR): old mattresses and cushions are made available to CERM operators to create cozy nests for the Egyptian vultures.
