Pharaohs Chicken - 5000 years and loosing...

I always wanted to find out why the Egpytian Vulture was called Pharaohs Chicken. I trolled and searched the web for information and could not find the story behind the name of this bird.

Wise and getting old...

My search for the reason of the name of this bird took me to google books that have a vast number of books that are scanned on put online. As I looked for the basis of name of this bird - I never really got the answer I wanted but then discovered the reason why this bird shared the hieroglyphs the walls with Kings and Queens of Ancient Egypt. The answer I got was in the book called The Child's Companion and Juvenile Instructor dated 1862. Reproduced below is what it wrote about the Egyptian Vulture...

Among the many objects sculptured on the ruins of the temples in Egypt is that of a bird, which is now known under the name of Pharaoh's Chicken. It belongs to the vulture family, and in size is rather larger than a raven. It is found in the different parts of the world. In South Africa the natives call it 'ourigourap', which means 'the white crow;' but the Egypt is it's chief place of abode, where in former days it was regarded as a sacred bird, and at the present time is held in much esteem, for it is the scavenger of the dirty streets in all the cities. It is contrary to the law to kill it, and even disturb it. These birds quietly perch themselves on the roofs of houses in the most noisy parts of the towns and from thence they fly among the crowd, feeding on all the refuse cast into the streets. To all Egyptian villages a pair of these birds belong, and they not only clear away all the refuse but also destroy snakes and lizards, which would otherwise abound.

Range of the bird - a total of three sub-species... (The colours just represent the winter, summer and year round range)

All in all the bird was so important that inspite of being a scavenger, the work done by this bird was recognised and rewarded by elevating its status. Over a period of time like it always happens, the topsy-turvy takes place and the bird - being the same scavenger that it always was is looked down upon and so much so that the decline has listed this bird as Endangered. The factors responsible for  its decline include strychnine and pesticide poisoning and direct persecution, electrocution on non-insulated powerlines, reduction in availability of food due to decrease in amount because of large-scale livestock farming and decline in use of traditional municipal carcass dumps and vulnerability of breeding areas.

Another interesting fact about this bird is its ability to use stones and sticks as tools. When this bird comes across an egg - it takes a pebble of appropriate size and swings it repeatedly at the egg till it breaks. Surprisingly - it is also a known fact that it prefers round pebbles to jagged ones. Another is the use of twigs to roll up and gather strands of wool to use for lining the nest. 

Such an interesting bird that has been a part of our history for 5000 years and a bird with such service to humankind for all those years is declining at the hands of humans only... Let us spread awareness and make sure that we do not let them loose when we are at the helm of our affairs...

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