Himalayan griffon vulture

Himalayan griffon vulture, a rare and largest bird native to the Himalayas, has been sighted for the first time at the Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary.

Context

• Himalayan griffon vulture, a rare and largest bird native to the Himalayas, has been sighted for the first time at the Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary.

What is important about Himalayan griffon vulture?

• The vulture is listed as “near threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
• It lives mainly in the higher regions of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau at the elevation of above 1500 metres.
• It could be a brief migration stay for the vulture.
• Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan,Nepal, Bhutan to western China and Mongolia are the other places of its occurrence.
  

What is the main threat?

• Himalayan vultures are susceptible to toxicity induced by diclofenac, a drug whose residues are found in domestic animal carcasses.