Abstract
Black vultures (Coragyps atratus) are increasing in number and distribution. These birds rely heavily on man-made structures for nesting and are appearing to adapt to nesting within more urbanized areas. Black vultures are solitary breeders, yet gregarious with conspecifics outside of their nest sites. The sociality of these birds likely allows information on nest sites to be acquired by conspecifics. Here, we report on the first documentation of conspecific nest destruction by black vulture, an event that occurred in May–June 2022 in Mississippi, USA. This nest destruction was photographed over a 2-week period through a game camera set within the nest chamber. As black vulture populations continue to increase, and as potential nest sites for these birds may become limited, we anticipate higher incidence to conspecific nest destruction, and nest usurpation among black vulture throughout their range.
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Acknowledgements
We thank the many undergraduate and graduate students who have helped with our work on black vultures over the years. We also extend appreciation to two anonymous reviewers for providing comments that improved this manuscript.
Funding
Observations reported here were made with financial support from the Office of Local Defense Community Adjustment, Department of Defense.
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This work approved under Mississippi State University’s Animal Care and Use Protocol 17–322.
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The authors declare no competing interests.
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The content reflects the views of the Mississippi State University, PI Scott Rush, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of Local Defense Community Adjustment.
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Communicated by Cristiano Azevedo.
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Rush, S.A., Naveda-Rodríguez, A. Conspecific nest destruction by black vulture (Coragyps atratus). Ornithol. Res. 32, 40–43 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43388-023-00159-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43388-023-00159-9