Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus)

Family
Accipitridae (Hawks, Eagles)

Size
80 - 95 cm

First Described (Guide)
(Scopoli, 1786)

Habitat
Open and wooded areas, cities, towns and villages near cultivated areas.

Range (Guide)

India (B), Pakistan (B).

Vagrant to Malaysia.

Unknown to Afghanistan.

Rarity Status
Currently this species is not classified as a rarity in this country OR information has not been updated.

Population
Estimated population is 45,000 (2011) and decreasing.

Status CR
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Almost entirely carrion.

Voice
Hissing and cackling sounds.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files

Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus) [XC351085]
by id from Nimli Khurd, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, India (call)

Subspecies
Gyps indicus (Sibley and Monroe, 1990, 1993) has been split into Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus) and Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) following Rasmussen and Parry (2001).

May form superspecies with Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis), Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus), Cape Vulture (Gyps coprotheres) and Ruppell's Vulture (Gyps rueppelli). Birds of Punjab hills erroneously ascribed separate subspecies, jonesi, but actually belongs to Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus).

The following 2 subspecies are recognised:

tenuirostris Gray, GR, 1844 - Lower Himalayas, from Kashmir through Nepal to Assam, and south-eastern into Indochina and northern Malay Peninsula. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris).
indicus (Scopoli, 1786) - South-eastern Pakistan and India south of R Ganges, except extreme south.

Similar Species
Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) which is larger with distinct rufous tone to plumage, White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) which is smaller with dark blackish plumage.

References
See References.

Files:

JPG files for Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus) - 10 files

More Information

BirdLife International

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BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

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