It is widely acknowledged that the conservation of vultures, a group of birds threatened worldwide, requires the management of safe, high-quality human subsidies, free of potentially harmful toxic compounds. Additionally, in Europe, the supply of livestock carcasses is subject to current sanitary regulations. It is largely unknown how vultures use sources of food of different abundance, predictability, or different legal status and how individual features shape these preferences. To answer these questions, we took advantage of information yielded by 35 GPS-tagged adult Eurasian Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus living in a region of northern Spain, which hosts one of the most important European populations. Our results indicated that vultures preferably used predictable feeding sites, such as carcass dumping sites, intensive farms and landfills which together account for the 62% of the observed feeding sites. Less than 10% of all observed sites had permission of authorities for the disposal of the carcasses. Interestingly, sites with large accumulations of carcasses were less used that those with intermediate amounts of food probably because of high intraspecific competition. In addition, sex and breeding status also played a role with males and breeding birds being more prone to visit the studied intensively managed feeding places. This vulture population is heavily dependent on food sources which are not under legal control where the birds could be at risk of intoxication and pathogen acquisition. Hence, current legal scenario allowing farmers to abandon carcasses in their exploitations seems insufficient. The future of vultures in highly anthropized regions is uncertain if interdictory regulations on the abandonment of carcasses of intensive livestock are applied. Additionally, conservation scenarios based on food subsidization must consider the effects of environmental and individual variability. We need science-based strategies ensuring the long-term viability of avian scavenger populations within a scenario of anthropized landscapes and livestock farming intensification.

人们普遍承认，秃鹰是一种在世界范围内受到威胁的鸟类，其保护需要管理安全、高质量的人类补贴，且不含潜在有害的有毒化合物。此外，在欧洲，牲畜尸体的供应受现行卫生法规的约束。秃鹫如何使用不同丰度、可预测性或不同法律地位的食物来源，以及个体特征如何塑造这些偏好，这在很大程度上是未知的。为了回答这些问题，我们利用了 35 只带有 GPS 标记的成年欧亚格里芬秃鹫Gyps fulvus提供的信息生活在西班牙北部的一个地区，那里拥有最重要的欧洲人口之一。我们的研究结果表明，秃鹫更喜欢使用可预测的觅食地点，例如尸体倾倒场、集约化农场和垃圾填埋场，这些地点合计占观察到的觅食地点的 62%。在所有观察到的地点中，只有不到 10% 的地方获得了有关机构处理尸体的许可。有趣的是，具有大量胴体堆积的地点比那些具有中等数量食物的地点使用较少，这可能是因为种内竞争激烈。此外，性别和繁殖状况也起到了一定的作用，雄性和种鸟更容易访问所研究的集约化管理饲养场所。这些秃鹫种群严重依赖不受法律控制的食物来源，这些鸟类可能面临中毒和病原体感染的风险。因此，目前允许农民在剥削过程中放弃屠体的法律情景似乎是不够的。如果实施禁止集约化牲畜尸体遗弃的禁令，高度人类化地区秃鹰的未来将是不确定的。此外，基于食品补贴的保护情景必须考虑环境和个体差异的影响。我们需要以科学为基础的战略，以确保在人类景观和畜牧业集约化的情况下鸟类清道夫种群的长期生存能力。目前允许农民在剥削过程中放弃胴体的法律情景似乎是不够的。如果实施禁止集约化牲畜尸体遗弃的禁令，高度人类化地区秃鹰的未来将是不确定的。此外，基于食品补贴的保护情景必须考虑环境和个体差异的影响。我们需要以科学为基础的战略，以确保在人类景观和畜牧业集约化的情况下鸟类清道夫种群的长期生存能力。目前允许农民在剥削过程中放弃胴体的法律情景似乎是不够的。如果实施禁止集约化牲畜尸体遗弃的禁令，高度人类化地区秃鹰的未来将是不确定的。此外，基于食品补贴的保护情景必须考虑环境和个体差异的影响。我们需要以科学为基础的战略，以确保在人类景观和畜牧业集约化的情况下鸟类清道夫种群的长期生存能力。基于粮食补贴的保护情景必须考虑环境和个体差异的影响。我们需要以科学为基础的战略，以确保在人类景观和畜牧业集约化的情况下鸟类清道夫种群的长期生存能力。基于粮食补贴的保护情景必须考虑环境和个体差异的影响。我们需要以科学为基础的战略，以确保在人类景观和畜牧业集约化的情况下鸟类清道夫种群的长期生存能力。