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This past weekend I was lucky enough to be able to observe, in Casserres (Berguedà), an Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), also known as the Egyptian vulture. In The Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia we can see it in full flight.
It is a summer bird of the accipitridae family and the only living species of the Neophron genus. Scavenger, it feeds on the remains of dead animals, very useful for ecosystems.
The Egyptian vulture is usually one of the last animals to taste the carrion on which it feeds, completing its diet with insects and small animals.
It also swallows eggs, which it breaks by picking them up with its beak and throwing them against rocks. They visit landfills taking advantage of everything that others throw away.
The generic name is derived from Greek mythology. Timandra was the mother of Neophron. Aegypius was a friend of Neophron and about the same age. Neophron was upset to learn that his mother, Timandra, was having an affair with Aegypius.
Seeking revenge, Neophron captivated Aegypius’s mother, Bulis, and enticed her into a dark chamber where her mother and Aegypius would soon meet.
Neophron distracted his mother, tricking Aegypius into entering the chamber and sleeping with his own mother. When Bulis discovered the deception, she gouged out the eyes of her son Aegypius before committing suicide.
Aegypius prayed for revenge and Zeus, hearing the prayer, transformed Aegypius and Neophron into vultures.
