Which bird uses stones as tools to break large eggs?

The Egyptian vulture uses stones as tools to break large eggs.

An Egyptian vulture may pick up a stone in its bill and throw it repeatedly at an ostrich egg or another large egg until the shell cracks. This behavior is one of the clearest examples of tool use in birds and is especially associated with populations in Africa.

The species is a small Old World vulture with a broad diet. It eats carrion, insects, small vertebrates, eggs, and refuse, so tool use is one part of a flexible scavenging strategy rather than its only feeding method.

Egyptian vultures breed across parts of southern Europe, Africa, and Asia, and many populations migrate. They have declined in several areas because of poisoning, electrocution, habitat change, and reduced food availability. The Egyptian vulture should not be confused with the lammergeier, which uses gravity to break bones and tortoise shells.