The Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) is an Old World vulture native to India, Pakistan and Nepal. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2002, as the population severely declined. Indian vultures died of kidney failure caused by diclofenac poisoning. It breeds mainly on hilly crags in central and peninsular India.
The slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris in the northern part of its range is considered a separate species.
Description
Close-up of Indian vulture in Mangaon
The Indian vulture is medium-sized and bulky. Its body and covert feathers are pale, its flight feathers are darker. Its wings are broad and its tail feathers short. Its head and neck are almost bald, and its bill is rather long. It is 81–103 cm (32–41 in) long and has a wing span of 1.96–2.38 m (6.4–7.8 ft). Females are smaller than males.
It weighs 5.5–6.3 kg (12–14 lb). It is smaller and less heavily built than the Eurasian griffon. It is distinguished from that species by its less buff body and wing coverts. It also lacks the whitish median covert bar shown by griffons.
Behaviour and ecology
Indian vulture in Madhav National Park
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This section does not cite any sources. (April 2020)
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The Indian vulture breeds mainly on cliffs in South and Central India, but is known to use trees to nest in Rajasthan. It may also breed on high human-made structures, like the Chaturbhuj Temple. Like other vultures, it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses, which it finds by soaring over savannah and around human habitation. It often congregates in flocks.
Status and conservation
Population declines
Indian vulture in flight
The Indian vulture and the white-rumped vulture, G. bengalensis species have suffered a 99%–97% population decrease in Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. Between 2000-2007 annual decline rates of this species and the slender-billed vulture averaged over sixteen percent. The cause of this has been identified as poisoning caused by the veterinary drug diclofenac. Diclofenac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and when given to working animals it can reduce joint pain and so keep them working for longer. The drug is believed to be swallowed by vultures with the flesh of dead cattle who were given diclofenac in the last days of life.