Determining and monitoring of the cinereous vulture population in the Köroğlu mountains forest

Cinereous vulture Aegypius monachus L. is a primary scavenger with a decreasing global population categorized as Near Threatened (NT). It is a species of conservation priority; therefore, the determination of new nesting areas, nesting and reproducing area preferences, reproduction success rates and the threats against the species is of utmost importance in order to ascertain the connection points of the Cinereous Vulture populations and to conserve the species. To that end, 37 field studies were conducted regarding the species in 2018 and 2019 in the Köroğlu Mountains, which set the border between the Central Western Black Sea and the Central Anatolia regions. The aims of these field studies were set as determining the new nesting areas and monitoring the breeding success, determining the nest and nest site preferences and the threats against the species. In the Koroglu Mountains, 83 nests belonging to the species were found, and it was seen that 39 pairs had shown breeding activity in 2018, while in 2019 it was 60 pairs. Their breeding success were 67% and 73%, respectively. Analyses have shown that the Cinereous vulture prefers old and tall black pine trees as nesting trees, and that it uses the degraded stands and the high oblique areas facing the South-Southeast direction in the 1345-1716 m elevation range (black pine zone) for nesting. The biggest cinereous vulture colony in Turkey was discovered during this field study conducted in Köroğlu Mountains. Minimum limit of the black vulture population with this field study in Turkey has been updated with 194 pairs. It was seen that the cutting of potential nesting trees and road construction in forests as part of forestry activities are the most critical threats against the species.