Vultures in India
Kartavya Desk Staff
Source: TH
Subject: Species in News
Context: Tamil Nadu informed the Madras High Court that it is creating Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs), beginning with the Moyar River Valley in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, to protect vultures from toxic veterinary drugs like diclofenac.
About Vultures in India:
What they are?
• Vultures are large scavenging birds of prey that feed on animal carcasses, playing a crucial ecological role by preventing the spread of disease, recycling nutrients, and keeping landscapes clean.
Types of vulture:
Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus)
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Features: Medium-sized vulture with pale body and dark wings; nests on cliffs and tall trees; feeds mainly on livestock carcasses.
Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris)
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Features: Long thin bill and narrow neck; prefers forested river valleys and grasslands of north and east India; highly sensitive to NSAID poisoning.
White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Features: Dark body with a white rump patch; once common near villages and slaughterhouses; suffered the steepest decline due to diclofenac.
Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus)
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered
• Features: Bare red head and black body; usually solitary; feeds on large carcasses in open forests and scrublands.
Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus)
• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Features: Small vulture with yellow face and white-black plumage; feeds on carrion, garbage and eggs; often found near human settlements.
Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus)
• IUCN Status: Least Concern
• Features: Large pale-brown vulture with white neck ruff; common in north-western India; strong flyer adapted to open and rocky habitats.
Himalayan Vulture (Gyps himalayensis)
• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Features: Very large vulture with pale plumage; inhabits high-altitude Himalayan cliffs and alpine zones; dominant scavenger in mountain ecosystems.
Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Features: One of the heaviest vultures; dark brown-black body with massive beak; nests on trees and cliffs; feeds on large carcasses.
Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus)
• IUCN Status: Near Threatened
• Features: Long tail, feathered face and red eye rings; feeds mainly on bones; found in rocky Himalayan terrain.