Aberrant white plumage observed in the Arabian Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos negevensis

We report an observation of an adult Arabian Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos negevensis exhibiting extensive but asymmetrically distributed white feather pigmentation, recorded on 10 December 2024 in Wadi Nakhlah Nature Reserve, AlUla County, north-western Saudi Arabia. The patchy and non-symmetrical distribution of white feathers, together with their occurrence across multiple feather tracts, is most consistent with progressive greying, a heritable condition characterized by the age-related loss of pigment-producing cells. Aberrant white plumage in Lappet-faced Vultures has previously been documented in African populations, but this represents the first reported case for Saudi Arabia and likely the first for the Middle East. This record contributes to the understanding of rare pigmentation anomalies in Old World vultures and highlights the importance of long-term monitoring of individuals exhibiting progressive plumage changes. Keywords: Lappet-faced Vulture, Torgos tracheliotos negevensis, leucism, plumage aberration, vulture conservation, Saudi Arabia, Middle East, raptors