Which bird of prey is known to use stones to break open ostrich eggs?

The bird of prey known to use stones to break open ostrich eggs is the Egyptian vulture.

The African populations of this vulture use a large pebble as a tool. After finding an ostrich or bustard egg, the bird grips the stone in its bill and repeatedly swings its head and neck downward, striking the shell until it cracks. It can then feed on the contents, turning an otherwise inaccessible food source into a meal.

This behavior is unusual among birds because it involves selecting, holding, and repeatedly using an external object for a specific purpose. It is particularly associated with the nominate African population and has not been recorded in the same way in every Egyptian vulture population.

The behavior was often linked to Jane Goodall’s 1966 report, but earlier published accounts existed, including one by J. G. Wood in 1877. Brown-necked ravens may wait nearby and steal food after the vulture opens an egg, a form of kleptoparasitism.