Ethno-ornithology of the Critically Endangered Rüppell’s Vulture Gyps rueppelli at Ngolonyako breeding site, Arua District, Uganda

Abstract

Ethno-ornithology provides insights into how cultural relationships and understanding support conservation of ecologically essential bird species often perceived as uncharismatic. The Critically Endangered Rüppell’s Vulture Gyps rueppelli forages extensively across Uganda’s protected areas. Here, it delivers invaluable ecosystem services including carcass removal, disease regulation and nutrient cycling. The only confirmed breeding population in Uganda occurs on the three cliffs of Luku Central Forest Reserve, with the Ngolonyako cliff alone supporting approximately 20% of the estimated 232 individuals remaining within the country’s protected areas. However, this breeding colony exists within a culturally and socially diverse landscape comprising host communities and refugees from neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan. Using a cross-sectional mixed-methods design, data were collected from 92 households in November–December 2025 within a 5 km radius of the nesting cliff. Data collection methods included semistructured questionnaires, photographic identification and focus-group discussions. Snowballing and purposive sampling approaches were used to identify and engage hunters, wildlife traders, herbalists and local conservation practitioners. Descriptive statistics and inferential analyses were applied to examine relationships between sociodemographic variables and conservation attitudes. Awareness of the species was high (96%) and most respondents correctly identified it (84%), yet understanding of its ecological roles was limited (3%). While the majority of the respondents (89%) perceived vulture population declines in the area, support for vulture conservation was overwhelmingly high (97%) despite a meagre portion of respondents (4%) being involved in conservation activities. Religious and cultural beliefs around the nesting cliffs increase human–vulture interactions presenting both disturbance risks and opportunities for faith-culture based engagement. Habitat change (84%) was perceived as the main threat while direct persecution was low (8%) highlighting a window for proactive community-focused interventions that link awareness of ecological functions to tangible socio-economic and environmental benefits.