The Indian vulture (''Gyps indicus'') is an

Old World vulture Old World vultures are vultures that are found in the Old World, i.e. the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa, and which belong to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, buzzards, kites, and hawks. Old World vultures are not cl ...

native to India, Pakistan and Nepal. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the

IUCN Red List The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data Book, founded in 1964, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biol ...

since 2002, as the population severely declined. Indian vultures died of

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

caused by

diclofenac Diclofenac, sold under the brand name Voltaren, among others, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to treat pain and inflammatory diseases such as gout. It is taken by mouth or rectally in a suppository, used by injection, or ...

poisoning. It breeds mainly on hilly crags in central and peninsular

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. The

slender-billed vulture The slender-billed vulture (''Gyps tenuirostris'') is an Old World vulture species native to sub-Himalayan regions and Southeast Asia. It is Critically Endangered since 2002 as the population on the Indian subcontinent has declined rapidly. As ...

(''Gyps tenuirostris'') in the northern part of its range is considered a separate species.

Description

Indian_vulture_(Gyps_indicus)_Close-up_by_Shantanu_Kuveskar

The Indian vulture is medium-sized and bulky. Its body and

covert feather A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are sm ...

s are pale, its

flight feather Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...

s are darker. Its wings are broad and its tail feathers are short. Its head and neck are almost bald, and its bill is rather long. It is long and has a wing span of . As they are

sexually dimorphic Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...

, males are larger than females. It weighs . It is smaller and less heavily built than the Eurasian griffon. It is distinguished from that species by its less buff body and

wing covert A covert feather or tectrix on a bird is one of a set of feathers, called coverts (or ''tectrices''), which, as the name implies, cover other feathers. The coverts help to smooth airflow over the wings and tail. Ear coverts The ear coverts are sm ...

s. It also lacks the whitish median covert bar shown by griffons.

Behaviour and ecology

Indian Vulture at Madhav National Park, Shivpuri, M

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 decline

The Indian vulture and the

white-rumped vulture The white-rumped vulture (''Gyps bengalensis'') is an Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2000, as the population severely declined. White-rumped vultures d ...

, ''G. bengalensis'' species have suffered a 99%–97% population decrease in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

. Between 2000-2007 annual decline rates of this species and the

averaged over sixteen percent. The cause of this has been identified as poisoning caused by the veterinary drug

. Diclofenac is a

non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are members of a therapeutic drug class which reduces pain, decreases inflammation, decreases fever, and prevents blood clots. Side effects depend on the specific drug, its dose and duration of ...

(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 their last days of life. Diclofenac causes

in several species of vultures. In March 2006 the Indian Government announced its support for a ban on the veterinary use of diclofenac. Another NSAID,

meloxicam Meloxicam, sold under the brand name Mobic among others, is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAID) used to treat pain and inflammation in rheumatic diseases and osteoarthritis. It is used by mouth or by intravenous, injection into a ...

, has been found to be harmless to vultures and should prove to be an acceptable substitute for diclofenac. A rise in the production of meloxicam can bring its cost down to diclofenac's own levels, and make it more suitable for use. As of August 2011, banning diclofenac for veterinary use for approximately a year did not prevent diclofenac's use across India. Small numbers of birds have bred across peninsular India, in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

and

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

, especially in villages around

Bangalore Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

. The decline in Indian vulture populations has drastically affected the conservation of the environment. By removing all carrion, vultures had helped decrease pollution, spread of diseases, and suppressed undesirable mammalian scavengers. In their absence, the population of feral dogs and rats, along with their zoonotic diseases, has increased greatly.

Captive-breeding programmes

Vultures in the nest, Orchha, MP, India edit

Captive-breeding programmes for several species of Indian vulture have been started. The vultures are long lived and slow in breeding, so the programmes are expected to take decades. Vultures reach breeding age at about five years old. It is hoped that captive-bred birds will be released to the wild when the environment is clear of diclofenac. In early 2014 the ''Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction'' (Save) programme announced that it expects to start releasing captive-bred birds into the wild by 2016. Two captive Himalayan griffons were released in June, 2016 from Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre,

Pinjore Pinjore is a town in Panchkula district in the Indian state of Haryana. This residential 'township', located close to Panchkula, Chandigarh, is set over 1,800 feet above the sea level in a valley, overlooking the Sivalik Hills. Pinjore is kno ...

as part of Asia's first vulture re-introduction program.

References

External links

Conserving Asia's critically endangered vultures

* ttp://www.save-vultures.org/ "Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction" Consortium
Conservation of Vultures in Konkan region
{{Taxonbar, from=Q248086

Indian vulture 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 fa ...

Birds of prey of Asia

Birds of Pakistan Birds of Nepal

Aviculture