Animalia Life

Gyps bengalensis
SUBFAMILY
Accipitrinae
TAXONOMY
Vultur bengalensis Gmelin, 1788, Bengal. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
English: Indian white-backed vulture, white-backed vulture; French: Vautour chaugoun; German: Bengalengeier; Spanish: Buitre Dorsiblanco Bengalн.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
29.5–33.5 in (75–85 cm); 7.7–13 lb (3.5–6 kg). Blackish bird, distinguished by white lower back and underwing coverts.
DISTRIBUTION
From south-east Iran to Pakistan, through India to southcentral China, Indochina, and the northern Malay Peninsula.
HABITAT
Mainly open plains near villages, towns, and parks. Also into hilly woodlands of Himalayan foothills to 4,900 ft (1,500 m).
BEHAVIOR
Apparently sedentary. A social species, usually found in nonspecific flocks. Also roosts in large flocks in trees.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Feeds on carrion, largely dead livestock, and human remains. Gorges then rests for an extended period on ground or in tree while heavy load of food is digested.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Breeds in small colonies, often in tall trees near human habitation, along canals or streams. Monogamous. Builds a large nest of sticks. Lays a single egg clutch in about October-November. Incubation 45 days and fledging after about three months.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Critically Endangered. Previously widespread and abundant across its
DISTRIBUTION
al range. East of India the species has been all but extinct since the early 1900s probably due to the rarity of wild large mammals and consumption of dead livestock by humans. Now rare in China and remaining strongholds are Pakistan and India. However, recently (2000) upgraded to Critically Endangered because of rapid population decline: in mid-2000, across Nepal, Pakistan and India, large numbers of Gyps vultures were found dead and dying. The cause is unknown but may have been viral. Other threats include poisoning, pesticides, and changes in processing of dead livestock and other waste.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Traditionally, the Parsee of India dispose of their dead by leaving bodies on special towers so that the vultures can carry the remains heavenward. The vultures’ habit of roosting habitually in large flocks at the same site can kill trees through accumulation of excrement and can be a problem in coconut plantations and mango groves.

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