Unravelling the decision making of foraging vultures: insights from a field experiment

Abstract

Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT) integrates both the consumer and the resource, yet their simultaneous assessment is uncommon. Vultures represent an ideal model for OFT studies because carrion requires no capture effort and minimal handling, allowing them to focus primarily on food searching. Here, we combined GPS tracking of 61 Iberian griffon vultures (consumers) with photo-trapping monitoring of 49 carcasses (resources) to assess the determinants of vulture foraging and the consequences for carrion consumption in two areas with different carrion abundances. First, we determined the importance of different factors (distance to the resource, hunger and competition) in the decisions of individuals of whether to descend or not on a carcass. Second, we compared carrion consumption patterns (time of carcass discovery and consumption, and maximum number of vultures gathered around the carcass) between areas. We found that distance, rather than hunger, is the primary factor determining whether a vulture descends to a carcass. In parallel, carrion was consumed similarly in areas with different resource availabilities. These findings indicate that vultures tend to eat whenever a nearby opportunity arises, consistent with a type-I functional response.