Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps Calvus Research Articles

Birds of Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park, Nepal

Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park harbors diverse avifauna. The last checklist of birds for Shivapuri, published by SNP and BCN (2007), covered 318 species. However, it excluded the Nagarjun Forest birds as this area wasn't incorporated into the national park until 2009. Since then, many new bird sightings have been reported in Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park (SNNP). To address this gap, we've compiled a comprehensive checklist of SNNP birds in Nepal's central mid-hills, drawing on direct observations and a literature review. A total of 396 species of birds belonging to 18 orders and 71 families were known to occur in the park. Order Passeriformes (n=260, 65%) and family Muscicapidae (n=50, 12%) have the highest record of the number of species. Out of 396 bird species, 237 species were recorded during the recent survey of 2021–2022 and 159 species were considered from the past literatures. 10.60% (n=42) of the recorded bird species are classified as nationally threatened according to Nepal’s national red list and 2% (n=8) are listed as globally threatened. The globally threatened birds include Vulnerable greater spotted eagle Aquila clanga, imperial eagle Aquila heliaca, and Kashmir flycatcher Ficedula subrubra; Endangered steppe eagle Aquila nipalensis and Pallas’s fish eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus; and Critically Endangered white-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis, slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris and red-headed vulture Sarcogyps calvus. A total of 55 species recorded are included in the CITES Appendices; one species is also listed in the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act (NPWCA) Schedule I, and the park includes spiny babbler Acanthoptila nipalensis the only endemic bird of Nepal. Resident species make up the majority (n=243, 61.36%) of birds recorded in the national park. The remaining are the migrants which include summer and winter visitors, passage migrants and vagrants.

Forest Management Practice Influences Bird Diversity in the Mid-Hills of Nepal.

Forest management practice plays a critical role in conserving biodiversity. However, there are few studies on how forest management practice affects bird communities. Here, we compare the effectiveness of the Panchase Protection Forest (PPF; protected forest with government administration) and the Tibrekot Community Forest (TCF; community forest with community forest users' group administration) in hosting bird diversity in the mid-hills of Nepal. We examined 96 point count stations during summer and winter in 2019 and recorded 160 species of birds with three globally threatened vultures (red-headed vulture Sarcogyps calvus, slender-billed vulture Gyps tenuirostris, and white-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis). Forest management practice, season, and elevation all influenced the richness and abundance of birds. The diversity, richness, and abundance of birds and the most common feeding guilds (insectivore, omnivore, and carnivore) were higher in TCF than in PPF; however, globally threatened species were only recorded in PPF. We also recorded a higher bird species turnover (beta diversity) in TCF than in PPF. Our study indicates that community-managed forests can also provide quality habitats similar to those of protected forests managed by the government, and provide refuge to various bird species and guilds. However, we recommend more comparative studies in other tropical and sub-tropical areas to understand how different forest management practices influence bird diversity.

Survey on the Avian Diversity along the Annapurna Sanctuary Trekking Route in Western Nepal

A bird survey was carried out on one of Nepal’s most popular trekking destinations, Annapurna Base Camp in the Annapurna Conservation Area (ACA). ACA trekking route was selected as our transect line. Direct observation method and call count method were used during the survey following the transect line. A total of 166 species were recorded representing nine orders and 39 families. The main objective of the present work was to study the avian diversity. Eight nationally threatened and three globally threatened bird species were recorded during the survey. White-rumped vulture Gyps bengalensis (Gmelin) and Red-headed vulture Sarcogyps calvus (Scopoli) (critically endangered species) were also recorded. The abundancy of Rufous sibia Malacias capistratus (Vigors) was higher, while Nepal house martin Delichon nipalense (Moore) had the highest number. Hunting, excessive harvesting of bamboo shoots, orchids, overgrazing and improper management of solid waste were directly observed threats.

Poisoning causing the decline in South-East Asia’s largest vulture population

SummaryCambodia supports populations of three Critically Endangered vulture species that are believed to have become isolated from the rest of the species’ global range. Until recently Cambodia’s vulture populations had remained stable. However a recent spike in the number of reports of the use of poisons in hunting practices suggests the need to re-evaluate the conservation situation in Cambodia. Population trend analysis showed that since 2010 populations of the White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis and Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus have declined, while the Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris may also have started to decline since 2013. These trends are supported by evidence of reduced nesting success. A survey of veterinary drug availability revealed that diclofenac, the non-steroid anti-inflammatory drug responsible for vulture declines in South Asia was not available for sale in any of the 74 pharmacies surveyed. However, a poisoned Slender-billed Vulture tested positive for carbofuran in toxicology tests. This provides the first evidence of a vulture mortality resulting from carbofuran in Cambodia. The findings suggest the urgent need to tackle use of carbamate pesticides in hunting. Proposed conservation actions are: a) prevention of poisoning through national bans on harmful carbamate pesticides and diclofenac and education campaigns to reduce demand and use; b) training of personnel in priority protected areas in detection and response to poisoning incidents; c) maintenance of a safe and reliable food source through vulture restaurants to ensure short-term survival, and d) protection and restoration of large areas of deciduous dipterocarp forests to enable long-term species recovery.

Record of Cinereous Vulture <i>Aegypius monachus</i> from Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan, India

We report a sighting of Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus from Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India. The current observations were made during a two month study on ‘Prey status and abundance in Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve’ during February-March 2015. Five species of vulture were recorded during this period: Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus; Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus; Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus; Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus and Cinereous Vulture. This is an additional record of a Cinereous Vulture sighting in the area. We highlight the need to evaluate the historical and current status of vulture populations in the area and assess the threats posed to vultures from unorganized carcass dumping sites in and around the reserve, as the past studies have been limited only to the north-western part of the reserve.

Foraging behaviour at carcasses in an Asian vulture assemblage: towards a good restaurant guide

SummaryVulture populations are declining steeply worldwide. Vulture ‘restaurants’ or feeding stations are a tool for maintaining and monitoring numbers, but individual species may be disadvantaged by the effects of carcass distribution, carcass size and interspecific aggression. To test the degree to which restaurants give opportunities for each species to access the food provided, we studied behaviour and morphology in three Critically Endangered species of vulture in Cambodia: the gregariously breeding and feeding White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis and Slender-billed Vulture G. tenuirostris, and the solitary Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus. We video-recorded attendance time, attendance order and dominance behaviour at different-sized carcasses. Interspecific aggression at carcasses was least frequently shown by the ‘small’ White-rumped Vulture. The relatively ‘large’ Slender-billed and ‘medium’ Red-headed Vultures showed aggression more regularly and at similar levels. However, the latter avoids conflict by waiting until Gyps vultures are no longer crowding at the carcass, although its arrival at carcasses was correlated with total number of vultures present. While more numerous than Red-headed, the two Gyps vultures are more dependent on large carcasses, which increases their vulnerability to further declines in wild large ungulate species. Body size, number of individuals, hunger levels and carcass size and availability all influence carcass attendance behaviour. An increase in the number and spatial distribution of restaurants as well as of carcass size range could boost numbers of all vulture species.

Threat status of birds of Yamuna Nagar District, Haryana, India

Birds were surveyed in the Yamuna Nagar District, Haryana, India and the threat categories of the species observed were determined with the IUCN Red List. A total of 185 species belonging to 46 families were observed. Families Accipitridae, Passeridae, Corvidae and Scolopacidae dominated the list. There were 13 species with various IUCN Red List categories. One Critically Endangered species, the Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus, and two Endangered species Black-bellied Tern Sterna acuticauda and Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus were observed. A prerequisite for all the measures focussed on management and conservation of species is that the status and population trends of the target species must be known, and future work should be in this direction. Â

Have population declines in Egyptian Vulture and Red-headed Vulture in India slowed since the 2006 ban on veterinary diclofenac?

SummaryPopulations of three vulture species of the genus Gyps, the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus and Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus have declined markedly on the Indian subcontinent since the mid-1990s and all are now Critically Endangered or Endangered. Gyps vultures have been killed by the widely used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac, ingested when they feed on carcasses of domesticated ungulates treated with the drug shortly before death. However, it is not known whether Egyptian Vulture and Red-headed Vulture are also sensitive to diclofenac. Veterinary use of diclofenac was banned in India in 2006. Since then, the prevalence and concentration of diclofenac in domesticated ungulates carcasses has decreased and population declines of Gyps vultures have slowed or reversed. Here, we examine counts of Egyptian and Red-headed Vultures obtained on road transects in and near protected areas between 1992 and 2011. We found indications that the declines in both species appear to have slowed and possibly increased after the ban was introduced, though the small numbers of birds counted make this conclusion less robust than that for the Gyps species. These results suggest that both species may have been adversely impacted by diclofenac and that government bans on this drug, which are beginning to take effect, may benefit a wider range of vulture species in the Indian subcontinent than was previously thought.

Vultures in Cambodia: population, threats and conservation

SummaryAsian vultures have undergone dramatic declines of 90–99% in the Indian Subcontinent, as a consequence of poisoning by veterinary use of the drug diclofenac, and are at a high risk of extinction. Cambodia supports one of the only populations of three species (White-rumped VultureGyps bengalensis, Slender-billed VultureG. tenuirostrisand Red-headed VultureSarcogyps calvus) outside of South Asia where diclofenac use is not widespread. Conservation of the Cambodian sub-populations is therefore a global priority. This study analyses the results of a long-term research programme into Cambodian vultures that was initiated in 2004. Population sizes of each species are estimated at 50–200+ individuals, ranging across an area of approximately 300 km by 250 km, including adjacent areas in Laos and Vietnam. The principal causes of vulture mortality were poisoning (73%), probably as an accidental consequence of local hunting and fishing practices, and hunting or capture for traditional medicine (15%). This represents a significant loss from such a small population of long-lived, slow breeding, species such as vultures. Cambodian vultures are severely food limited and are primarily dependent on domestic ungulate carcasses, as wild ungulate populations have been severely depleted over the past 20 years. Local people across the vulture range still follow traditional animal husbandry practices, including releasing livestock into the open deciduous dipterocarp forest areas when they are not needed for work, providing the food source. Reducing threats through limiting the use of poisons (which are also harmful for human health) and supplementary food provisioning in the short to medium-term through ‘vulture restaurants’ is critical if Cambodian vultures are to be conserved.