Distribution

The Cinereous Vulture is widely, but somewhat patchily distributed across the southern Palearctic, including parts of southern Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and Central, East, and South Asia (66 Vaurie, C. (1965). The Birds of the Palearctic Fauna. Non Passeriformes. H. F. & G. Witherby, London, UK. Close , 1 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close , 2 Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1980). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 2. Hawks to Bustards. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

Breeding Range

The overall breeding distribution extends from Iberia east to Mongolia and China (1 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close , 2 Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1980). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 2. Hawks to Bustards. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ). In Europe, the species breeds in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), southeast France, northeast Greece, Crimea, Türkiye, and in the Caucasus including southern Russia, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan; it is also present on Mallorca (in the Balearic Islands, Spain) (1 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close , 2 Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1980). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 2. Hawks to Bustards. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 67 Patrikeev, M. (2004). The Birds of Azerbaijan. Pensoft, Sofia, Bulgaria and Moscow, Russia. Close , 68 Gavashelishvili, A., and M. J. McGrady (2006). Some results of research on the Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus in Georgia. Vulture News 54:4–10. Close , 69 Moreno-Opo, R., J. Andevski, and A. Gavashelishvili (2020). Aegypius monachus Cinereous Vulture. In European Breeding Atlas 2. Distribution, Abundance and Change (V. Keller, S. Herrando, P. Voříšek, M. Franch, M. Kipson, P. Milanesi, D. Martí, M. Anton, A. Klvaňová, M. V. Kalyakin, H. G. Bauer, and R. P. B. Foppen, Editors), European Bird Census Council and Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. p. 441. Close , 70 Tilba, P. A. (2020). Chernyy grif. Aegypius monachus. Cinereous Vulture. In Atlas gnezdyashchikhsya ptits yevropeyskoy chasti Rossii. Atlas of Breeding Birds of the European Part of Russia (M. V. Kalyakin and O. V. Voltzit, Editors), Fiton XXI, Moscow, Russia. pp. 215–216. Close ). In mainland Iberia nesting areas are concentrated in the southwest: Extremadura, Castilla y León, Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha, and Andalucía (71 Sánchez, J. J. (2003). Buitre Negro, Aegypius monachus. In Atlas de las Aves Reproductoras de España (R. Martí and J. C. del Moral, Editors), Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza-Sociedad Española de Ornitología, Madrid, Spain. pp. 170–171. Close ). In Türkiye, breeding has been recorded in the Türkmenbaba, Hamam, and Sündiken Dağları (all Eskişehir Province), Kızıltas (Balıkesir Province), Uludağ (Bursa Province), Murat Mountain (Kütahya and Uşak provinces), Akdağ and Acıgöl (Denizli and Afyon provinces), Kavaklı Mountain (Bolu and Ankara provinces), Soğuksu National Park (Ankara), Ilgaz Dağları (Çankırı and Kastamonu provinces), Dikmen Mountain (Kastamonu), Kazankaya (Yozgat Province), Kaçkar Dağları (Rize Province), and Ardahan Ormanlı (Ardahan Province) (72 Yamaç, E., and O. Can (2012). The Black Vulture Aegypius monachus in Turkey and Iran. In The Black Vulture: Status, Conservation and Studies. Proceedings of the First International Symposium on the Black Vulture Aegypius monachus (Cordoba, Spain, 21–23 October 2004) (P. M. Dobado and R. Arenas, Editors), Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain. pp. 131–135. Close , 73 Boyla, K. A., L. Sinav, and D. E. Dizdaroğlu (2019). Türkiye Üreyen Kuş Atlası. WWF-Türkiye, Doğal Hayatı Koruma Vakfı, İstanbul, Türkiye. Close ).

Further east, in Asia, the Cinereous Vulture breeds in Iran (74 Khaleghizadeh, A., K. Roselaar, D. A. Scott, M. Tohidifar, J. Mlíkovský, M. Blair, and P. Kvartalnov (2017). Birds of Iran: Annotated Checklist of the Species and Subspecies. Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Tehran, Iran. Close ), Pakistan (75 Grimmett, R., T. Roberts, and T. Inskipp (2008). Birds of Pakistan. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), and Afghanistan (1 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close , 2 Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1980). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 2. Hawks to Bustards. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 76 Ayé, R., M. Schweizer, and T. Roth (2012). Birds of Central Asia. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). In Kazakhstan, it nests in the Tien Shan Mountains, Dzungaria, Tyshkan, and between Kungey and Ketmen, with some breeding records in Saur and Karagandy (77 Sklyarenko, S. L., and T. Katzner (2012). The Black Vulture Aegypius monachus in central Asia. In The Black Vulture: Status, Conservation and Studies. Proceedings of the First International Symposium on the Black Vulture Aegypius monachus (Cordoba, Spain, 21–23 October 2004) (P. M. Dobado and R. Arenas, Editors), Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain. pp. 136–144. Close , 78 Sklyarenko, S. L., and T. Katzner (2012). The status of populations of vultures in Kazakhstan. Ornithological News of Kazakhstan and Middle Asia 1:178–185. Close , 79 Toropov, S. A. (2017). The Birds of Pamirs, Hissar, Alai, and Tien Shan. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Part 1. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Close ). In Turkmenistan, it breeds in Kopetdag, Paropamisus, and Bolshie Balkhany Mountains (77 Sklyarenko, S. L., and T. Katzner (2012). The Black Vulture Aegypius monachus in central Asia. In The Black Vulture: Status, Conservation and Studies. Proceedings of the First International Symposium on the Black Vulture Aegypius monachus (Cordoba, Spain, 21–23 October 2004) (P. M. Dobado and R. Arenas, Editors), Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain. pp. 136–144. Close ), and in Uzbekistan in the western Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay Mountains (77 Sklyarenko, S. L., and T. Katzner (2012). The Black Vulture Aegypius monachus in central Asia. In The Black Vulture: Status, Conservation and Studies. Proceedings of the First International Symposium on the Black Vulture Aegypius monachus (Cordoba, Spain, 21–23 October 2004) (P. M. Dobado and R. Arenas, Editors), Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain. pp. 136–144. Close , 79 Toropov, S. A. (2017). The Birds of Pamirs, Hissar, Alai, and Tien Shan. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Part 1. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Close ), whilst the species is widely distributed as a breeder in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan (77 Sklyarenko, S. L., and T. Katzner (2012). The Black Vulture Aegypius monachus in central Asia. In The Black Vulture: Status, Conservation and Studies. Proceedings of the First International Symposium on the Black Vulture Aegypius monachus (Cordoba, Spain, 21–23 October 2004) (P. M. Dobado and R. Arenas, Editors), Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain. pp. 136–144. Close , 79 Toropov, S. A. (2017). The Birds of Pamirs, Hissar, Alai, and Tien Shan. Volume 1. Non-passerines. Part 1. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Close ).

In Mongolia, the species is present in the Altai, Gobi Altai, Trans Altai Gobi, Khangai-Khentii, and Khan-Khokhii Mountains, Great Lakes Depression, Darkhad Depression, Lake Khuvsgul, and central mountain-steppe regions (80 Batbayar, N. (2012). The Black Vulture Aegypius monachus in southern and eastern Asia. In The Black Vulture: Status, Conservation and Studies. Proceedings of the First International Symposium on the Black Vulture Aegypius monachus (Cordoba, Spain, 21–23 October 2004) (P. M. Dobado and R. Arenas, Editors), Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain. pp. 145–152. Close ). In southern Siberia (Russia), it breeds in Altai Republic and Tuva Republic (81 Karyakin I. V., L. I. Konovalov, M. A. Grabovskiy, and E. G. Nikolenko (2009). Vultures of the Altai-Sayan Region. Raptors Conservation 15:37–65. Close ). An occupied nest with an incubating adult was found in 2018 in Oka district (Republic of Buryatia, Russia), just 25 km from the frontier with Mongolia (82 Osintsev, A. V., Botvinkin, A. D., and V. V. Popov (2018). Meetings of the black vulture Aegypius monachus L. in the Oka district (Republic of Buryatia) and in the Slyudyansky district (Irkutsk Region). Baikal Zoological Journal 2(23):113–115. Close ). In western and central China, it is present in Xinjiang, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia, Mongolia, Shanxi, Sichuan, and Tibet (83 MaMing, R., and G. Xu (2015). Status and threats to vultures in China. Vulture News 68:3–24. Close ).

Nonbreeding Range

In central Europe, the Cinereous Vulture is observed between April and September, as far north as Denmark and Estonia, and the Ural Mts. to 64°N (1 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close , 84 Danko, S., A. Ranner, J. Lontkowski, I. Sándor, J. Šírek, and I. Gorbaň (2013). Occurrence of the griffon vulture Gyps fulvus and the black vulture Aegypius monachus in Central Europe in the 21st century. Slovak Raptor Journal 7:1–16. Close ). In this region, records were more frequent in the past (85 Hagemeijer, W. J. M., and M. J. Blair, Editors (1997). The EBCC Atlas of European Breeding Birds: their Distribution and Abundance. T. & A. D. Poyser, London, UK. Close ), with more than 60 individuals and 25 records in the former Czechoslovakia between 1800 and 1975 (86 Kren, J. (2000). Birds of the Czech Republic. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Outside the Caucasus, in European Russia the species has been observed in Dagestan, Kalmykia, Stavropol, and Krasnodar (70 Tilba, P. A. (2020). Chernyy grif. Aegypius monachus. Cinereous Vulture. In Atlas gnezdyashchikhsya ptits yevropeyskoy chasti Rossii. Atlas of Breeding Birds of the European Part of Russia (M. V. Kalyakin and O. V. Voltzit, Editors), Fiton XXI, Moscow, Russia. pp. 215–216. Close ).

The distribution in Spain during the non-breeding season (87 de la Puente, J. (2012). Buitre negro Aegypius monachus. In Atlas de las aves en invierno en España 2007–2010 (J. C. del Moral, B. Molina, A. Bermejo and D. Palomino, Editors), Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente-SEO/BirdLife, Madrid, Spain. pp. 172–173. Close ) is similar to that at other times of year (71 Sánchez, J. J. (2003). Buitre Negro, Aegypius monachus. In Atlas de las Aves Reproductoras de España (R. Martí and J. C. del Moral, Editors), Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza-Sociedad Española de Ornitología, Madrid, Spain. pp. 170–171. Close ). In northwest Africa, juveniles have been recorded during winter in Morocco (88 Thévenot, M., R. Vernon, and P. Bergier (2003). The Birds of Morocco: An Annotated Check-list. British Ornithologists' Union Check-list 20. British Ornithologists' Union, Tring, UK. Close , 89 El Khamlichi, R. (2016). Recensement des Vautours et autres rapaces en migration prénuptiale 2016 sur la partie sud du détroit de Gibraltar, Jbel Moussa - Maroc. Go-South Bulletin 13:213–223. Close , 90 MaghrebOrnitho (2020). European Cinereous Vultures wandering across Africa. https://magornitho.org/2020/05/cinereous-vultures-wandering-africa/ Close ), Algeria (91 Isenmann, P., and A. Moali (2000). Oiseaux d’Algérie. Birds of Algeria. Société d’Études Ornithologiques de France, Paris, France. (In French and English.) Close , 90 MaghrebOrnitho (2020). European Cinereous Vultures wandering across Africa. https://magornitho.org/2020/05/cinereous-vultures-wandering-africa/ Close ), Tunisia (92 Isenmann, P., T. Gaultier, A. El Hili, H. Azafzaf, H. Dlensi, and M. Smart (2005). Oiseaux de Tunisie / Birds of Tunisia. Société d’Études Ornithologiques de France, Paris, France. (In French and English.) Close , 90 MaghrebOrnitho (2020). European Cinereous Vultures wandering across Africa. https://magornitho.org/2020/05/cinereous-vultures-wandering-africa/ Close ), Western Sahara (93 Bergier, P., Thévenot, M., and A. Qninba (2016). Liste des oiseaux du Sahara Atlantique marocain. Mise à jour janvier 2016 (rév. 2.0). Go-South Bulletin 13:1–11. Close , 90 MaghrebOrnitho (2020). European Cinereous Vultures wandering across Africa. https://magornitho.org/2020/05/cinereous-vultures-wandering-africa/ Close ), Mauritania (94 Isenmann, P., and M. Benmergui (2018). Nouvelles données sur l’avifaune de la Mauritanie (octobre 2010 – mai 2018). Go-South Bulletin 15:77‒115. Close ), Senegal (95 Cantos, F. J., and A. Gómez Manzaneque (1996). Informe sobre la campaña de anillamiento de aves en España, Año 1995. Ecología 10:321–424. Close , 96 Talamelli, A. (2007). First record of Eurasian Black Vulture Aegypius monachus for Senegal. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 14(2):203–204. Close , 97 Vroege, J. A. (2014). Immature Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus in Senegal in February 2005. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 21(2):223–224. Close ), Mali (95 Cantos, F. J., and A. Gómez Manzaneque (1996). Informe sobre la campaña de anillamiento de aves en España, Año 1995. Ecología 10:321–424. Close ), Burkina Faso (98 Dabone, C., A. Nana, M. Hamidou, S. Idrissa, and Y. Housseini (2021). First observation of Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus in Burkina Faso adds to a recent increase in records in sub-Saharan West Africa. Malimbus 43(1):1–8. Close ), and the Niger/Nigeria border region at Sokoto (90 MaghrebOrnitho (2020). European Cinereous Vultures wandering across Africa. https://magornitho.org/2020/05/cinereous-vultures-wandering-africa/ Close ).

In the Middle East and East Africa, juveniles have been observed in Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia (99 Rietkerk, F., and T. Wacher (1996) The birds of Thumamah, Central Province, Saudi Arabia. Sandgrouse 18(1):24–52. Close , 68 Gavashelishvili, A., and M. J. McGrady (2006). Some results of research on the Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus in Georgia. Vulture News 54:4–10. Close , 100 Murdoch, D. A., and K. F. Betton (2008). A Checklist of the Birds of Syria. Sandgrouse Supplement 2. Ornithological Society of the Middle East, Sandy, UK. Close , 101 Yamaç, E., and C. C. Bilgin (2012). Post-fledging movements of Cinereous Vultures Aegypius monachus in Turkey revealed by GPS telemetry. Ardea 100(2):149–156. Close , 102 Gavashelishvili , A., M. McGrady, M. Ghasabian, and K. L. Bildstein (2012). Movements and habitat use by immature Cinereous Vultures (Aegypius monachus) from the Caucasus. Bird Study 59(4):449-462. Close ), Israel, Egypt, and Sudan (103 Goodman, S. M., and P. L. Meininger, Editors (1989). The Birds of Egypt. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close , 104 Shirihai, H. (1996). The Birds of Israel: A Complete Avifauna and Bird Atlas of Israel. Academic Press, London, UK. Close , 105 Shirihai, H., R. Yosef, D. Alon, G. M. Kirwan, and R. Spaar (2000). Raptor migration in Israel and the Middle East: a summary of 30 years of field research. International Birding & Research Center in Eilat, Israel. Close , 106 Efrat, R., and O. Hatzofe (2021). First evidence of a migration route from Eurasia to East Africa of the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus). Journal of Raptor Research 55(3):451–454. Close ), and more exceptionally in United Arab Emirates (107 van den Berg, A. B., and M. Haas (2012). WP reports. Dutch Birding 34(6):395–416. Close ), Oman (108 Eriksen, J., and R. Victor (2013). Oman Bird List: the Official List of the Birds of the Sultanate of Oman. Seventh edition. Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman. Close ), and Yemen (35 Meinertzhagen, R. (1938). [Descriptions of four new races, Ægypius monachus danieli from Mongolia, Parus rufonuchalis blanchardi and Erythrina synoica salimalii from Afghanistan, and Sitta neumayer subcæruelus from Afghan Turkestan]. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 58:94–96. Close , 2 Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1980). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 2. Hawks to Bustards. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

The Cinereous Vulture is observed in summer in the steppes of western Siberia to ca. 55°N (1 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close ). Outside the breeding range, in Kazakhstan there are records throughout the country, including the far northwest (78 Sklyarenko, S. L., and T. Katzner (2012). The status of populations of vultures in Kazakhstan. Ornithological News of Kazakhstan and Middle Asia 1:178–185. Close , 109 Wassink, A. (2013). Birds of Kazakhstan: new and interesting data, part 4. Dutch Birding 35(1):30–34. Close ). During winter, the Cinereous Vulture is observed in the arid and semi-arid steppes of southern Kazakhstan (110 Martin, T. E., J. Dubos, T. Rivière, M. Loubon, J. Fleureau, A. Martineau, M. Guillemin, and V. Nivet-Mazerolles (2018). Bird records from arid and semi-arid areas in southern Kazakhstan, 2009–2017. Sandgrouse 40(1):53–74. Close ). Another wintering area is in Primorsky Region (southeast Siberia, Russia), near the Korean Peninsula (111 Shibnev, Yu. B. (1989). Cherny grif Aegypius monachus (Linnaeus, 1766). In Redkiye pozvonochnyye zhivotnyye sovetskogo Dal'nego Vostoka i ikh okhrana (A. A. Berzin, Editor). Izdatel'stvo «Nauka», Leningradskoye otdeleniye, Leningrad. pp. 95–96. Close , 112 Kalnitskaya, N., Yu. N. Glushchenko, and S. G. Surmach (2015). Chernyy grif Aegypius monachus v Primorskom Krae i ekologicheskie predposylki ego massovoy gibeli. Russkiy Ornitologicheskiy Zhurnal Ekspress-vypusk 24(1179):2953–2961. Close ).

In winter, juveniles have been recorded in Nepal (113 Batbayar, N., R. Reading, T. Natsagdorj, and P. W. Kee (2008). Movement patterns of cinereous vultures in Mongolia. Falco 32:5–7. Close ), although numbers reaching there are now much reduced (114 Grimmett, R., C. Inskipp, T. Inskipp, and H. S. Baral (2016). Birds of Nepal. Revised edition. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); eastern China (115 Etchécopar, R. D., and F. Hüe (1978). Les Oiseaux de Chine, de Mongolie et de Corée. Non Passereaux. Les Éditions du Pacifique, Papeete, Tahiti. Close , 116 Cheng, T. (1987). A Synopsis of the Avifauna of China. Paul Parey Scientific Publishers, Hamburg and Berlin, Germany. Close , 117 MacKinnon, J., and K. Phillipps (2000). A Field Guide to the Birds of China. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK & New York, USA. Close , 118 Brazil, M. (2009). Birds of East Asia: China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, and Russia. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ); and South Korea (119 Reading, R. P., J. Azua, T. Garrett, D. Kenny, H. Lee, W. K. Paek, N. Reece, P. Tsolmonjav, M. J. Willis, and G. Wingard (2020). Differential movement of adult and juvenile Cinereous Vultures (Aegypius monachus) (Accipitriformes: Accipitridae) in northeast Asia. Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity 13:156–161. Close ). In India, the species is a rare but regular winter visitor to the north and center of the country, south to latitude 21°N (120 Ali, S., and S. D. Ripley (1987). Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan, together with those of Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, Delhi, Oxford, and New York. Close , 121 Rasmussen, P. C., and J. C. Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: the Ripley Guide. Volumes 1 and 2. Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions, Washington, DC, USA, and Barcelona, Spain. Close ). At the same season, it is observed also in the lowlands of Pakistan (122 Roberts, T. J. (1991). The Birds of Pakistan. Volume 1. Non-Passeriformes. Oxford University Press, Karachi, Pakistan. Close , 75 Grimmett, R., T. Roberts, and T. Inskipp (2008). Birds of Pakistan. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Extralimital Records

In southern India, outside the regular winter distribution, there are records in Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu (123 Choudhury, B. C. (1990). Capture of Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus in Karimnagar district, Andhra Pradesh. Mayura 7/8:49–50. Close , 124 Perennou, C., and V. Santharam (1990). Status of some birds in southeastern India. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 87(2):306–307. Close , 125 Kumar, R. S. S. (1991). Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus (Linn.) in Pathanamthitta, Kerala. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society 88(1):111. Close , 126 Shivanand, T. (2004). A sight record of the Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus near Mysore, Karnataka, India. Indian Birds 1(5):74. Close , 127 Samson A., B. Ramakrishnan, V. Selvan, and S. Manigandan (2019). Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, and its status in southern India. Indian Birds 15(3):93–94. Close ). There are scarce records in southern China (116 Cheng, T. (1987). A Synopsis of the Avifauna of China. Paul Parey Scientific Publishers, Hamburg and Berlin, Germany. Close , 117 MacKinnon, J., and K. Phillipps (2000). A Field Guide to the Birds of China. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK & New York, USA. Close ). The species has been recorded a few times in Bangladesh (128 Siddiqui, K. U., M. A. Islam, S. M. H. Kabir, M. Ahmad, A. T. A. Ahmad, A. K. A. Rahman, E. U. Haque, Z. U. Ahmed, Z. N. T. Begum, M. A. Hassan, M. Khondker, and M. M. Rahman, Editors (2008). Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh. Volume 26. Birds. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Close , 129 Thompson, P. M., S. U. Chowdhury, E. Ul Haque, M. M. H. Khan, and R. Halder (2014). Notable bird records from Bangladesh from July 2002 to July 2013. Forktail 30:50–65. Close ) and is a rare winter visitor to Myanmar (130 Hla, H., N. M. Shwe, T. W. Htun, S. M. Zaw, S. Mahood, J. C. Eames, and J. D. Pilgrim (2011). Historical and current status of vultures in Myanmar. Bird Conservation International 21(4):376–387. Close , 131 Thet Zaw Naing, Naing Lin, S. G. Platt, K. Platt, Lay Lay Khaing, Thin Thin Yu, Kin Myo Myo, Me Me Soe, San San Nwe, and R. J. Tizard (2017). Birds of the Chindwin River and adjacent areas of the Chin and Naga Hills in western Myanmar. Forktail 33:64–76. Close ). In Japan, there is one historical record (132 Kuroda, N. (1926). On two stragglers, Aegypius monachus and Sula leucogaster plotus from Japan proper. Tori 5(21):11–15. Close ), with another on Iriomote, in the Ryukyu Islands, in 1967 (133 Takara, T., and N. Kuroda (1969). Rare and new records of birds from the Ryu Is. Journal of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology 5(5):547–562. Close , 134 Brazil, M. (1991). The Birds of Japan. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), and most recently one was seen in the Kitakami Mountains, northern Honshu, in December 2015 (135 Maeda, T. (2017). The first record of the Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus in Iwate Prefecture, northern Honshu, Japan. Journal of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology 48:78–82. Close ). Outside the regular distribution in Russia, a juvenile was recorded in Yakutsk, Siberia (113 Batbayar, N., R. Reading, T. Natsagdorj, and P. W. Kee (2008). Movement patterns of cinereous vultures in Mongolia. Falco 32:5–7. Close ), one was seen in the headwaters of the Ola River (60°64′N, 151°22′E) (136 Dorogoy, I. V. (2013). Zalot chornogo grifa Aegypius monachus na yug Magadanskoy oblasti. Russkiy ornitologicheskiy zhurnal, Ekspress-vypusk 22(839):151–152. Close ), with another at Aytuar Steppe, in Orenburg State Nature Reserve (51°3’47.43”N, 57°39’34.46”E; Orenburg) (137 Barbazyuk, E. V. (2012). A new record of the Black Vulture in the Orenburg District, Russia. Raptors Conservation 25:135–136. Close ), and one on Iturup Island (in the southern Kurils) (138 Velizhanin, A. G. (1977). O nekotorykh redkikh i maloizvestnykh ptitsakh Kuril'skikh ostrovov. Ornitologiya 13:25–32. Close ).

Other extralimital records have included one in 2002 on Batan Island, in the Philippines (139 van der Ploeg, J., and T. Minter (2004). Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus: first record for the Philippines. Forktail 20:109–110. Close , 140 Jensen, A. E., T. H. Fisher, and R. O. Hutchinson (2015). Notable new bird records from the Philippines. Forktail 31:24–36. Close ), and in Cambodia it has been observed at Tapon in 1993 (141 O’Sullivan, K. (1994). A record of Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) from Cambodia. Natural History Bulletin of the Siam Society 42:297–299. Close ) and at Preah Vihear Protected Forest in 2009 (142 Bunnat, P., and H. Rainey (2009). Cambodia vulture conservation project. Annual activities report. July 2008 to June 2009. https://docslib.org/doc/11647071/cambodian-vulture-conservation-project-annual-activities-report. Close ). In Taiwan the species is an occasional winter visitor (143 Ding, T. S., C. S. Juan, R. S. Lin, C. Y. Pan, Y. J. Tsai, J. Wu, and Y. H. Yang (2017). The 2017 CWBF Checklist of the Birds of Taiwan. Chinese Wild Bird Federation, Taipei, Taiwan. Close ), while it is a vagrant to Peninsular Malaysia (144 Chye, L. K. 2012. Current status and distribution of diurnal raptors in Malaysia. Ornis Mongolica 1:52–59. Close ), including a juvenile in Singapore Botanic Gardens, on 29 December 2021 (145 Lim, K. S. (2022). Records Committee Report 2022. Nature Society (Singapore) Bird Group Records Committee, Singapore. https://singaporebirdgroup.wordpress.com/2022/03/29/records-committee-report-2022/. Close ), as well as in Vietnam (146 Vo, Q. (1971). Biology of Common Bird Species in North Vietnam. Science and Technology, Hanoi, Vietman. Close ) and it is rare in Thailand (147 Lekagul, B., and P. D. Round (1991). A Guide to the Birds of Thailand. Saha Karn Bhaet Co., Bangkok, Thailand. Close , 148 Pornpanom, P., C. Kasorndorkbua, P. Lertwatcharasarakuld, and C. Salakij (2021). Prevalence and genetic diversity of Haemoproteus and Plasmodium in raptors from Thailand: Data from rehabilitation center. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife 16:75–82. Close ).

There is information about historical changes to the distribution in the western Palearctic, but knowledge is probably insufficiently detailed to make an assessment for the east of the species’ range.

In the mid-19th century, the Cinereous Vulture nested in Basses-Alpes (France), eastern Croatia, Fruška Gora (Serbia), Bosnia, Herzegovina, the southern Carpathians (Romania), Transylvania (Romania) (149 Vasvári, M. (1935). Das einstige Brüten des Mönchsgeiers im Siebenbürgischen Erzgebirge. Aquila 38–39:361, 25. Close ), the Babadag Region (Romania), Bulgaria, and Tatra Mountains (Slovakia). During 1883‒1886, the species was recorded nesting in the southern Austrian Alps (15 Reiser, O. (1907). Das Dunenjunge vom Kuttengeier, Vultur monachus L. Ornithologische Monatsschrift 32:331–333. Close , 1 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close ). A reduction in the extent of the breeding distribution occurred during the early 1900s in Europe, with many populations disappearing, and only small numbers apparently survived in Spain, Greece, Ukraine, Türkiye, and the Caucasus (1 Glutz von Blotzheim, N., K. M. Bauer, and E. Bezzel (1971). Handbuch der Vögel Mitteleuropas. Band 4. Falconiformes. Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Close , 2 Cramp, S., and K. E. L. Simmons, Editors (1980). The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Volume 2. Hawks to Bustards. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. Close ).

The Cinereous Vulture has bred in Morocco in the past; for example, clutches were found in a colony south of Tangier on 19 March 1903 (88 Thévenot, M., R. Vernon, and P. Bergier (2003). The Birds of Morocco: An Annotated Check-list. British Ornithologists' Union Check-list 20. British Ornithologists' Union, Tring, UK. Close ), and the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Camarillo, CA, has eggs collected in Morocco, either without a precise locality (WFVZ 50000, WFVZ 50002, WFVZ 98963), in the Atlas Mts. (WFVZ 98956), and at Tixa, also in the Atlas (WFVZ 98962).

The species is extirpated in Syria and Israel; it was recorded breeding near Tell Abiad, Syria, in 1955 (150 Kumerloeve, H. (1968). Recherches sur l’avifaune de la republique arabe Syrienne. Essai d’un aperçu (Suite). Alauda 36(1–2):1–26. Close ), and at Arbel, in the Galilee, Israel, in 1864 (104 Shirihai, H. (1996). The Birds of Israel: A Complete Avifauna and Bird Atlas of Israel. Academic Press, London, UK. Close ). Some insular populations in the Mediterranean are also extirpated. The breeding population on Cyprus was lost by the end of the 1960s (151 Flint, P., and P. Stewart (1992). The Birds of Cyprus. An Annotated Check-list. BOU Check-list 6. Second Edition. British Ornithologists’ Union, Tring, UK. Close , 152 Iezekiel, S., D. E. Bakaloudis, and C. G. Vlachos (2004). The status and conservation of Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus in Cyprus. In Raptors Worldwide. Proceedings of the 6th World Conference on Birds of Prey and Owls May 2003, Budapest, Hungary (R. D. Chancellor and B.-U. Meyburg, Editors), World Working Group on Birds of Prey and Owls and MME/BirdLife Hungary, Penti Kft. Budapest, Hungary. pp. 67–73. Close ), and the last nesting record on Sardinia was in 1961 (153 Grussu, M. (2019). Evolution of the vulture population on a Mediterranean island. The Sardinian instance (Italy). Vulture News 76:6–19. Close ). It has been suggested that the species formerly bred on Crete (Greece), where was recorded in 1942, but became locally extirpated around 1980 (154 Hinkelmann, C., and D. Ristow (2002). The Eurasian Black Vulture Aegypius monachus in Crete. Il-Merill 30:32–33. Close ).

The Cinereous Vulture was extirpated in Portugal, but has started to naturally recolonize the country from Spain during the 21st century (155 de Juana, E., and E. Garcia (2015). The Birds of the Iberian Peninsula. Bloomsbury, London, UK. Close ). Reintroductions in France commenced in 1992 in the Grand Causses, in 2004 in Baronnies, and in 2005 in Verdon (156 Terrasse, M. (2006). Long term reintroduction projects of Griffon Gyps fulvus and Black Vultures Aegypius monachus in France. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Conservation and Management of Vulture Populations. 14–16 November 2005, Thessaloniki, Greece (D. C. Houston and S. E. Piper, Editors), Natural History Museum of Crete and WWF Greece, Athens, Greece. pp. 98–107. Close , 157 Andevski, J., J. Tavares, N. P. Williams, R. Moreno-Opo, A. Botha, and J. Renell (2017). Flyway Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cinereous Vulture. CMS Raptors MOU Technical Publication No. 6. Coordinating Unit of the CMS Raptors MOU, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Close ). Two reintroduction projects are also underway in Spain, one started in Boumort and Alinyà (Lleida Province) in 2007 (158 Alvarez, M., M. Gálvez, A. Millet, X. Marco, E. Alvarez, M. Rafa, M. Galán, J. Curia, and R. Marine (2011). “Vulturnet” Conectividad de las poblaciones de buitre negro europeas: el programa de rentroducción del buitre negro en Cataluña. In Ecología y conservación de las rapaces forestales europeas (I. Zuberogoitia, and J. E. Martínez, Editors), Departamento de Agricultura de la Diputación Foral de Bizkaia, Bilbao, Spain. pp. 356–361. Close , 159 Armet, O., and D. Saavedra (2012). Reintroducción del buitre negro Aegypius monachus en Cataluña (España). In The Black Vulture: Status, Conservation and Studies. Proceedings of the First International Symposium on the Black Vulture Aegypius monachus (Cordoba, Spain, 21–23 October 2004) (P. M. Dobado and R. Arenas, Editors). Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Junta de Andalucía, Córdoba, Spain. pp. 180–188. Close , 157 Andevski, J., J. Tavares, N. P. Williams, R. Moreno-Opo, A. Botha, and J. Renell (2017). Flyway Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cinereous Vulture. CMS Raptors MOU Technical Publication No. 6. Coordinating Unit of the CMS Raptors MOU, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Close ). Another project to reintroduce the species was initiated in 2015 in the Sierra de la Demanda (Burgos Province) (157 Andevski, J., J. Tavares, N. P. Williams, R. Moreno-Opo, A. Botha, and J. Renell (2017). Flyway Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cinereous Vulture. CMS Raptors MOU Technical Publication No. 6. Coordinating Unit of the CMS Raptors MOU, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Close ). Yet another reintroduction project, this time in the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria, was launched in 2018 (157 Andevski, J., J. Tavares, N. P. Williams, R. Moreno-Opo, A. Botha, and J. Renell (2017). Flyway Action Plan for the Conservation of the Cinereous Vulture. CMS Raptors MOU Technical Publication No. 6. Coordinating Unit of the CMS Raptors MOU, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Close ).