SAFRING results

Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus

1. Numbers ringed with SAFRING rings, 1948-2001

• Total ringed: 62
• First ringed: 1963/64 ringing year
• Trapping methods: Cannon nets (Mundy 1996)

Number of Hooded Vultures ringed per year with SAFRING rings

2. Computerised records, 1972-2001

• Number of records: 57
• Ring sizes used: 49 with 16.0 mm, 8 with 19.0 mm
• Recommended ring size: 16.0 or 19.0 mm Stainless Steel
• Top ringers: 4 ringers: Dr P Mundy (46), Dr P Benson (9), Dr A Kemp (1), Mr BJ Leslie (1)
• Bird age distribution: Nestling (10), Juvenile (9), Immature (8), Adult (13), 0-6 months (1), 2-3 years (16)
• Bird sex distribution: Unknown (57)
• Birds ringed per region:

  Locality	n
  Zimbabwe	45
  Limpopo, South Africa	11
  Mpumulanga, South Africa	1

Map of localities where Hooded Vultures have been ringed, 1972-2001

3. Biometrics and moult

Mass data (g) for adult Hooded Vultures

Age	n	Min	Mean	Max
Adult	7	1900	2043	2250

Moult data - none in SAFRING's database

4. Recovery history (SAFRING's database)

• Number of recoveries: 2 recoveries
• Greatest distance: 116 km (914209)
• Greatest elapsed time: 21 years 4 months (914230)
• Causes of mortality of ringed birds: Land mine; Poisoning

List of reported birds:
• 914209 was ringed as a juvenile on 13 April 1973 in Chizarira Game Reserve, Zimbabwe, being captured in a cannon net. The bird was detonated a land mine near the Deka River, 116 km away, 6 years 9 months after ringing (Mundy 1996).

• 914230 was ringed as a juvenile on 7 May 1974 in Chizarina Game Reserve, Zimbabwe, being captured in a cannon net. It was one of ten vultures that died after eating a poisoned goat carcass in the Gokwe district. The ringed bird died 89 km from place of ringing, 21 years 4 months after ringing (Mundy 1996, Oatley 1996).

5. Ringing references

Mundy, PJ. 1996. Weight loss of stainless steel rings on Hooded Vultures. Safring News 25:74-75.

Weights of two recovered rings is given. The stainless steel ring 914230 lost 7.4% of its weight at an average rate of attrition of 1.5 mg/month. This would have resulted in the ring falling off after a lapse of 99 years.

Oatley, TB. 1996. Selected recoveries reported to SAFRING: July 1995 - December 1995. Safring News 25:31-38.

Recovery 914230 is listed.

Oatley, TB, Oschadleus, HD, Navarro, RA & Underhill, LG. 1998. Review of Ring Recoveries of Birds of Prey in Southern Africa: 1948-1998. Johannesburg: Endangered Wildlife Trust.