White-rumped Vulture

About White-rumped Vulture

• The White-rumped Vulture is a small ‘Old World’ vulture native to South and Southeast Asia.
• Scientific name: Gyps bengalensis
• Alternative Names: It is also known as the Indian White-backed Vulture or the Oriental White-backed Vulture.
• Habitat: It is found mostly in plains with open areas, light woodland, villages, and cities, and it is occasionally seen in hilly regions.
• Distribution: It is native to India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Myanmar, Cambodia and southern Vietnam.
  • Extinction: It is extinct in China and Malaysia.
• Characteristics:
  • Appearance: Adults have blackish body feathers, a white neck-ruff, and a white patch on the lower back, while juveniles have brown feathers with white streaks.
  • Size: It is a medium-sized vulture measuring about 75–85 cm in length, and both sexes are approximately equal in size.
  • Behaviour: It is highly social, forms large flocks and communal roosts, and regularly gathers at carcasses.
  • Breeding: It breeds in colonies on tall trees, often near human habitation.
  • Diet: It is an obligate scavenger that feeds on fresh and decaying animal carcasses.
• Threats
  • Rapid population decline is caused by Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac, aceclofenac, and ketoprofen used in livestock, which cause kidney failure and visceral gout in vultures.
  • Other major threats include habitat loss, deforestation, poisoning, electrocution, collisions, and reduced food availability due to changes in livestock management.
• Conservation Status 
  • IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
  • Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I