Scientists at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) have recently called for a new vulture census as they believe the population of vulture has stabilized over the years.
Context
Scientists at the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) have recently called for a new vulture census as they believe the population of vulture has stabilized over the years.
Important facts about Vultures
- This large bird of prey with a head and neck more or less bare of feathers, is a relatively social species.
- Vultures are carnivorousand they eat carrion almost exclusively.
- A group of vultures is called a committee, volt or venue.
- In flight, a flock of vultures is a kettle.
- When the birds are feeding together at a carcass, the group is called a wake.
Vulture species in India and their status
- In India, there are 9 recorded species of vultures:
- Oriental white-backed
- long-billed
- Slender-billed
- Himalayan
- red-headed
- Egyptian
- Bearded
- Cinereous
- Eurasian Griffon
- Between the 1990s and 2007, numbers of three presently critically-endangered species (Oriental white-backed, long-billed and slender-billed vultures) — crashed massively with 99 % of the species having been wiped out.
- The number of red-headed vultures, also critically-endangered now, declined by 91%
- Egyptian vultures, listed as ‘endangered’, declined by 80%.
- The Himalayan, bearded and cinereous vultures are ‘near threatened’.
Cause of decline
- The cause of the decline was established as diclofenac.
- It is a veterinary nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which is used to treat pain and inflammatory diseases such as gout in carcasses that vultures would feed off.
Why are Vultures important?
- Nature’s clean-up crew: Vultures rid the landscape of deteriorating carcasses and thus help curb the spread of dangerous diseases and bacteria.
- Their clean-up property is due to strong enzymes present in their stomach that kill off dangerous toxins and microorganisms.
