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Threatened vultures
Three vulture species in Asia belonging to the Gyps genus are now critically endangered. These species are the Oriental White-backed Vulture G. bengalensis, Long-billed Vulture G. indicus and Slender-billed Vulture G. tenuirostris. Recent surveys have also found that populations of Egyptian vultures Neophron percnopterus and Red-headed vultures Sarcoyps calvus have also undergone rapid population declines in India (follow link to paper). BirdLife International has recently re-classified these two species as globally Endangered and Critically Endangered, respectively (follow link to BirdLife news on this).
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Oriental white-backed vulture
Photo Richard Cuthbert
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Slender-billed vulture
Photo James Irons
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Red-headed vulture (photo from: http://www.birdfinders.co.uk/images/
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Long-billed vulture fledglings
Photo Richard Cuthbert
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Egyptian vulture (photo from: http://www.neophron.com/
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For detailed information on the conservation status, threats, distribution and conservation actions on these species, visit the Birdlife International website Datazone for information on these species. Alternatively, follow the links to each of the species photos below.
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Two other Gyps species are found in Asia, the Himalayan Griffon G. himalayensis and the Eurasian Griffon G. fulvus that breeds in Eurasia but migrates into Africa and south Asia. Three other species of Gyps vulture are found exclusively in Africa (African White-backed Vulture G. africanus, Cape Griffon G. coprotheres, Rüppell's Griffon G. rueppellii). No Gyps species is completely geographically isolated from its congeners (see map).
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Gyps vultures are obligate scavengers and perform an important ecological function by stripping the soft tissue from carcasses. Gyps vultures used to be widespread and abundant, accounting for the majority of vulture sightings in both Africa and Asia. Their abundance in India and Nepal, where Hindu religious taboos restrict the consumption of meat, is explained by the role Gyps has in consuming cattle carcasses. In most parts of Africa, vultures primarily feed on dead wild ungulates. All Gyps species are wide-ranging in their foraging behaviour and juveniles disperse more widely than adults. Satellite tracking of Eurasian and Himalayan griffon vultures from Northern India reveals that spend their summers in Mongolia, returning to India for the winter
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