image: Overview of the data collection procedure for assessing the Rüppell’s vulture vocal repertoire across Vogelpark Avifauna and Diergaarde Blijdorp, conducted from September 2024 to May 2025. (A) Adult male Rüppell’s vulture, Stan, aged 25 + years. (B) Recordist C.P. sampling pre-hatching egg vocalisations from an internal pipped Rüppell’s vulture egg (25G4) in the incubation room at Diergaarde Blijdorp. (C) One-month-old chick 25G4 recorded during a veterinary procedure, including ringing and weighing, at Diergaarde Blijdorp. (D) Camera and microphone setup on a tripod used for recording during general group and feeding contexts. (E) Nest microphone installed for passive monitoring of parent–chick vocalisations in nest 3 at Diergaarde Blijdorp. (F) Chick 25G15 one day after hatching, being recorded in the incubation room at Diergaarde Blijdorp. (G) Chick 25G15 breaking through the shell of its egg (external pip) while vocalising, recorded in the incubation room at Diergaarde Blijdorp. (H) Group of Rüppell’s vultures resting in the sun at Vogelpark Avifauna. (I) View from the nest camera in nest 3 at Diergaarde Blijdorp, showing Ayla (mother) feeding chick 25G4. Photos: Connor Proudfoot.
Credit: Proudfoot et al., 2026, PLOS One, CC-BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Rüppell’s vultures have an impressively extensive vocal repertoire, which might be driven by the highly social behavior of this critically endangered species
Article URL: https://plos.io/3VDPZxZ
Article title: The complex, graded vocal repertoire of the social Rüppell’s vulture
Author countries: The Netherlands.
Funding: Financial support for this study was provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Netherlands (a starters and incentive grant #U2023-169 to J.J.M.M.), and from the Dobberke Foundation for Comparative Psychology, the Netherlands (KNAWWF|DA|3211|022 to A.M.S.).
Journal
PLOS One
Article Title
The complex, graded vocal repertoire of the social Rüppell’s vulture
Article Publication Date
21-Oct-2026
COI Statement
The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.