White-rumped Vulture

Why in News?

Recently, experts have reported stable vulture numbers in Wayanad despite reduced breeding, with invasive plants and human activity affecting nesting areas.

• Scientific Name – Gyps bengalensis.
• Family – Accipitridae.
• Habitat – Mostly plains with open areas, light woodland, villages and cities. Occasionally found in hilly regions.
• Distribution – Native to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Cambodia.
• Extinction - Possibly extinct in Afghanistan, Iran, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam. Extinct in China and Malaysia
• Key Identification – Size – Medium-sized vulture (75–85 cm).
• Adult – Mostly black body feathers with a white ring of feathers around the neck (neck-ruff) and white feathers on the lower back (rump).
• Wings have silvery feathers, the head and neck are dark, and the bill is short, thick, and silver-colored.
• Juvenile – Brown body feathers with white streaks on wing and back feathers and soft down on the head and neck.

• Behaviour – Aggregates at carcasses and uses regular feeding sites. Highly social, forms large flocks and communal roosts (gathers together to rest or sleep).
• Breeding – Breeds in colonies in tall trees, often near human habitation.
• Diet – Obligate scavenger feeding on fresh and decaying carcasses (dead animals).
• Conservation Status –
  • IUCN – Critically Endangered.
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 – Schedule I
• Threats – Rapid population decline due to Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac, aceclofenac, and ketoprofen used in livestock, causes kidney failure and visceral gout in vultures.
• Other threats – Habitat loss, deforestation, poisoning, electrocution, collisions, and reduced food availability from changes in livestock management.

References

1. TH | White-rumped Vulture
2. IUCN | White-rumped Vulture