Raptor Friday: Long Billed / Indian Vulture.

Vultures are the most misunderstood of birds despite the fact that Hindu mythology associates them with virtue rather than evil. In the last decade, our callousness has led to a huge decline in their numbers. But it isn't too late, we think...

Vultures are not really everybody's favourite birds. Traditionally, they have been associated with war, death and doom. Pathetic imitations of vulture calls have been used in popular cinema to signal the entry of villains, possibly to convey the impression that "now the vultures shall feed." Little do we realise that these birds face a fragile future, driven as they are to the verge of extinction.

I had heard a lot about Indian Vultures (Gyps indicus) and one fine morning I drove to Ramanagaram, near Bangalore, to see them. My first sighting was of a bird mobbed by crows flying away from one of the huge monoliths on which they typically nest.

An Indian vulture all hunched up, perhaps mulling over the future? Don't miss the "vulture paint" on the rock ledge

As my friend and I walked beside the rock trying to spot the birds I noticed some construction activity (later I learned a resort was being built nearby). The much talked about 'Sholay' village is also being planned near this place as the movie was shot here in the 1970s. It was evident that the activity due to resort construction has disturbed the vultures roosting there. Where there used to be about 20 vultures I couldn't spot even one. Looking around I finally saw two birds perched on a ledge a fair distance apart.

The desolate landscape adds to the melancholy mood

The ledge in itself was ornately decorated with "vulture paint" -- stripes of white formed by the birds' droppings over time. We waited till past 8 am, when we assumed the thermals would become stronger. Precisely at 8:15, the vultures took off one by one. Spreading their thick wings they lifted off with seemingly impossible ease, considering their bulk.

A vulture soaring inspires awe

The Long-billed Vulture is smaller and less heavily built than the Eurasian Griffon (Gyps fulvus), and its head and neck are darker, and the beak paler, in comparison. Also, the lack of white tips to the median coverts is one way to identify them.

Vultures, hardy birds that thrived on carrion, have been driven to the verge of extinction: nearly 99% of the population has been wiped out due to the use of Diclofenac, a veterinary drug administered to livestock. Vultures that feed on the carcasses would die of renal failure brought about by the drug. Though Diclofenac has been banned, farmers still have access to variants of the drug used for humans and hoarded stock. 

The Indian Vulture is no phoenix but let's hope, pray and spread awareness so that it may rise again.

Text and photos: Sandeep Somasekharan

See our other posts on vultures and Diclofenac

Raptor Friday - Last Hope for Disappearing Vultures

There are enough roadkills, but why are vultures absent from our skies? An independent filmmaker explores the reasons

Himalayan Griffons engage in a scuffle

Several animals are killed in road accidents but we hardly see any vultures hovering above and swooping down for a cleanup operation. Ever wondered why? Neloy Bandyopadhyay's film on vulture conservation The Last Hope aims to highlight why these efficient scavengers are absent from our skies. Anand Yegnaswami catches up with the man and his work.

Excerpts from an interview to The Green Ogre:

Could you please share in your words what the film "The Last Hope" was about?

The Last Hope is a film about the relentless struggle of vulture conservationists in India and this subcontinent where activists are fighting a tough battle to protect this great scavenger bird from the brink of extinction. The film is made to create awareness about the importance of the vulture in nature, and against the use of a drug which is the main reason for the [decline] of the vultures.

On the sets of the film

Why did you pick vultures as your subject?

The scenario of the numbers of vultures in India is worrisome. If we don’t take proper action right away, we will probably lose this great bird forever. The vulture doesn’t have the great looks of the tiger, lion or rhino, but from an importance perspective it’s a great bird.

Why are vultures such an important part of the ecosystem and what is the need to protect them?

Vultures play a crucial role in the food chain. They eat carcasses. In India, and the subcontinent, it has been an age-old practice to [dispose of] dead domestic animals in the dumpyard. Vultures can eat an animal the size of a bull within an hour and leave little chance for diseases to spread.

A hide used to film vultures at a carcass without disturbing them

Could you elaborate on the vulture conservation efforts that you came across while making the film?

The killer drug [Dicofenac] has been banned. Some NGOS are working towards vulture conservation. Bombay National History Society is working on a captive breeding programme. However, we have a lot to do to save this species.

Himalayan Griffons

What are the factors hampering vulture conservation? Are there threats other than Diclofenac that pose a danger to the vulture population?

Diclofenac is the main reason. To save vultures we have to ban the use of this drug. Today, Diclofenac meant for humans is being used on cattle.

Long-billed Vultures at a nest

How long will it take for the vulture population to bounce back from the effects of Diclofenac?

Unfortunately, the breeding cycle of vultures is pretty slow. They lay one egg per breeding cycle. We have to take extra precaution and we have to phase out Diclofenac immediately and completely. If we can do that I am sure the vulture population will [be restored] to a substantial number.

During the making of the film

Now that you have completed this film, how do you plan to get the message of conservation across?


Broadcast this film as much as possible.

Neloy works as a IT security consulting manager in Bangalore. He is a nature lover and wildlife enthusiast with a passion for cinematography and photography. In addition to The Last Hope, Neloy has also filmed a documentary on Snow Leopard conservation, An Unavoidable Disagreement.

Anand Yegnaswami is an IT professional and an intrepid nature enthusiast. He has contributed previously to The Green Ogre.


All photographs in this post are the copyrighted property of Neloy Bandyopadhyay and are used here with his kind permission.


This is a special edition of our series Raptor Friday. Read more about vultures and diclofenac in The Green Ogre archives.

Raptor Friday - Fly like an Egyptian

The Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), also known as White Scavenger Vulture and Pharaoh's Chicken, is easily distinguishable thanks to its unusual plumage. Its large size, creamy white plumage, hook-shaped beak, and yellow face are diagnostic. In flight, the undersides of the wings show a clear demarcation between the black flight feathers and the white underside coverts. They are often seen circling high above dumping yards. A pair is seen regularly near the Infosys campus in Mysore where I work.


Juveniles have dark brown plumage and a paler face.

These vultures are often found near landfills and large trash piles, where they scavenge for carrion and offal. At times they dig their beaks into human and animal excrement - both to get at the grubs they harbour, as well as for the 'pudding' itself.


All vultures play a critical role as scavengers in the food chain. However, a massive decline in their numbers has seen their place left vacant or taken up by dogs and crows. As with other vultures, their numbers have seen an alarming decline in the last two decades due to poisoning by the veterinary drug Diclofenac, which they ingest while consuming livestock carcasses. The drug has been found to cause renal failure in the birds and has been held responsible for the global decline of vultures. Once common in our skies, Egyptian Vultures are now classified as 'EN'- Endangered in the IUCN Red List (BirdLife Species Factsheet).


Text and photographs by Sandeep Somasekharan

The milk of human blindness

Hard to imagine that the near extinction of three species of Gyps vultures has to do with something mammalian. Milk. Medicine to mammals, toxin to vultures, the antibiotic drug Diclofenac was widely administered to livestock. When vultures fed on animal carcasses as they have been doing for millennia, traces of the drug crept into their digestive systems and, over time, caused renal failure, slowly wiping out whole populations of the raptors. Finally in 2006, Diclofenac was banned, perhaps 15 years too late. Now, the worrying part is that Diclofenac has moved to Africa, where it poses a huge threat to vultures and other raptors of that continent. Just as with the gharial crisis that is unfolding in the Chambal River Sanctuary, theories abounded but the solution came late. Conservationists are now waiting with bated breath - some fear the damage is too deep; others are hopeful that the vultures will make a comeback. Tehelka has a good opinion piece on the subject by conservationist Neeta Shah.

Diclofenac moves to Africa

Just when you thought the spectre of vulture deaths had taken a breather, here's more shocking news. It's not gone away, just shifted base. A bit of background: Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used in the veterinary treatment of livestock, has been found to cause gout and renal failure in vultures that ingest it while feeding on the corpses and remains of livestock. In Asia, particularly India, Diclofenac was responsible for decimating vultures of the Gyps genus. Among the affected species include the White-backed, Slender-billed and Griffon vultures. BirdLife reports: "In India, where Diclofenac was in widespread veterinary use, three Gyps species, formerly of Least Concern, have been pushed to Critically Endangered status, losing over 99 percent of their populations in just over a decade." In 2006, governments in India, Nepal and Pakistan banned the manufacture and sale of Diclofenac. However, BirdLife has observed that the veterinary drug is on sale in Africa. This puts other vulture species on the extinction radar: Cape vulture (Gyps coprotheres), Rueppell's Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppellii), White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) and Griffon vulture Gyps fulvus. Further, BirdLife adds that the threat extends to other vulture species and birds of prey, including owls and raptors, as well as cranes and storks. "Gyps vultures are very wide ranging, and exposure to Diclofenac in a single carcass in any one of their range states could prove fatal to whole populations, threatening the more common species as well as the already rare ones," BirdLife said. More

Death to Diclofenac

The ban of the veterinary drug Diclofenac comes as a relief to conservationists. The drug, administered to domestic cattle and water buffalo, has been blamed for the Great Asian Vulture Crisis. Diclofenac enters the food chain when vultures feed on livestock carcasses, causing kidney failure. Ornithologists the world over have been concerned about the sharp dip in the population of vultures of the Gyps genus, particularly in southern Asia. In the 1990s, within an alarmingly brief span of three years, the numbers of three species of Gyps vultures fell by 95%. Over the last 15 years, their numbers are believed to have reduced by 97%. Terrifying, considering that in the late 1980's, these vultures were common on our birding checklists. The Gyps vultures in the spotlight are: Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) Indian Vulture (G. indicus) White-rumped Vulture (G. bengalensis) The crisis is so serious that Chris Bowden of the Royal Society for Protection of Birds remarked: "The decline of these Asian vultures has been quicker than any other wild birds, including the dodo." The ban on Diclofenac is a vital first step. We have more ground to cover before we can save the vultures from extinction. Time, as always, is running out. More information