Muscat – To study the Lappet-faced vulture and its habitat in the sultanate, Environment Authority (EA) has installed a tracking device on a specimen of the species in Buraimi.

Lappet-faced vultures (Torgos tracheliotos) are the largest breeding birds in Oman (wingspan 2.8m, weight 6-8kg), and are globally endangered.

A statement issued by EA said, ‘The Office for Conservation of Environment succeeded in installing the first tracking device on a Lappet-faced vulture in Buraimi. The device is powered by solar energy and fitted on the back of the bird.

The tracker is linked to an electronic programme to send periodic data and indicators to measure its temperature, activities and determine its location.’

The vulture is endemic in some governorates of Oman, including Buraimi, owing to a suitable environment for nesting and reproduction, EA stated.

In 2021, Anglo-Omani Society provided funding to Faisal al Lamki to study the vulture’s status and ecology. Environment Society of Oman (ESO) also won a grant from Disney Conservation Fund to carry out similar work that year.

Since 2021, a field team has identified close to 100 nesting sites. In 2021-22, 25 of these nesting sites were productive, yielding at least one egg.