Active

Aikai

Egyptian VultureNeophron percnopterus

Male · 60 days

Aikai is a male Egyptian Vulture tagged as a 60-day-old chick in the Karatau Mountains of southern Kazakhstan in July 2024. Fitted with a GPS-GSM transmitter and a yellow-blue colour ring, Aikai is helping researchers understand the migration of young Egyptian Vultures across the Central Asian Flyway. His journey connects his breeding area in Kazakhstan with his non-breeding grounds around Bikaner in India, taking him through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan over a migration of approximately 2,500 km.

Location

Bird details

Ring / band: KC 02
Tag / transmitter ID: 179 (296)
Tracker type: GPS/GSM
Tracker brand: Aquila
Marker type: Colour ring
Marker colour: Yellow-blue

Migration information

Breeding area: Karatau Mountains, South Kazakhstan
Non-breeding area: Bikaner, India
Approximate migration distance: 2,500 km
Countries regularly visited: Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan

Meet the Scientist

Alyona Kaptyonkina

Researcher / Raptor Conservationist

Biodiversity Research and Conservation Center (BRCC)

Kazakhstan

She has been a member of the IUCN Vulture Specialist Group since February 2024. Since 2022, her work has focused on research and conservation of rare raptors, including vultures, across Kazakhstan. Her fieldwork in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan includes hands-on bird-ringing and GPS-tracking experience.

View researcher profile

Research project

Endangered Raptor Conservation on the Indo-Palearctic Flyway of Kazakhstan

Biodiversity Research and Conservation Center (BRCC) Community Trust

View project

Research and conservation

Interesting facts

Over the past four years in Kazakhstan, 11 young Egyptian Vultures have been tagged with GPS/GSM trackers, and more than 30 birds have been fitted with colour rings.
GPS tracking has shown that these vultures can reach altitudes of up to 7 km.
In December 2022, one tracked Egyptian Vulture was captured by Pakistani border authorities near the India–Pakistan border and held for approximately 1.5 months while its tracker was examined. The bird was ultimately released in February 2023.

Bird Passport

Meet Aikai

Download the official Bird Passport for Aikai.

Download passport