Biology
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An understudied bird, the slender-billed vulture has recently gained species status having been considered to be a subspecies of Gyps indicus prior to 2000. It builds compact nests in loose colonies of fewer than ten individuals at heights of seven to fifteen metres in large and leafy trees. The breeding season is between October and April, when pairs of vultures produce a single egg. Incubation duty is shared between both parents (5).
Feeding solely on carrion, the slender-billed vulture prefers the remains of cattle (5), but will also consume the carcases of wild deer and pigs killed by tigers (6), as well as meat discarded by humans (2). The slender-billed vulture tolerates the presence of other vulture and scavenger species while it eats, gorging itself, and then resting to digest the food (5).
The slender-billed vulture does not migrate, but when young or unpaired, can cover huge areas in flight (5).
Conservation
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It is necessary to prevent exposure of vultures to livestock carcasses that have been contaminated with diclofenac, and to find an alternative replacement drug (7). Government commitment to the control of the use of the drug is crucial, but until it has been entirely removed from the environment, a collaboration of bird protection organisations plan to take all slender-billed vultures into captivity for the next 20 to 30 years to avoid further deaths, which would further reduce the chance of a successful recovery of this already rare species (8).
Description
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This thin, scruffy vulture has a nearly naked black head and neck with a dark bill. The feathers on the rest of the body are brown, and the underparts streaked with pale brown. There are also patches of downy white feathers on the thighs that are clearly visible in flight. Juveniles are similar to adults but the head and neck have white down on top of the black skin (2).
Habitat
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The slender-billed vulture inhabits both open and partly wooded land, mainly in the lowlands. The slender-billed vulture is also found near human habitation and will scavenge from rubbish dumps and slaughterhouses (2).
Range
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Found in Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Nepal, and Thailand (1), but now thought to be lost from Viet Nam and Malaysia (5).
Status
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The slender-billed vulture is classified as Critically Endangered (CR) on the IUCN Red List 2007 (1). It is listed on Appendix II of CITES (3) and Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species (4).
Threats
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Having suffered an extremely rapid decline in numbers due to a previously unknown cause, the slender-billed vulture is in danger of imminent extinction without immediate conservation action. By 2000, dead and dying Gyps vultures were being found so frequently in Nepal and India it was thought that they were suffering from an epidemic. The unnaturally high death toll was thought to be caused by a fatal virus, but testing has revealed that the vultures were suffering from kidney failure following the consumption of cattle that had previously been treated with the anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac (2). In fact, the decline is a result of a lethal level of the drug in a small proportion of the ungulate carcasses available to vultures, but as vultures travel long distances to reach carrion, a considerable proportion of the population has been affected (7).
In the east of India, the almost complete loss of the slender-billed vulture occurred prior to the current drug disaster and is thought to relate to the reduction in large wild mammals, and the human consumption of livestock that dies naturally (2).
The full extent of the decline of slender-billed vultures, and other vulture species, is already felt by humans, as rotting carcasses remain untouched, posing a health hazard, as well as encouraging feral dog populations which carry rabies (8).
Slender-billed vulture
provided by wikipedia EN
The slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) is an Old World vulture species native to sub-Himalayan regions and Southeast Asia. It is Critically Endangered since 2002 as the population on the Indian subcontinent has declined rapidly. As of 2021, fewer than 870 mature individuals are thought to remain.[1]
It used to be the Indian vulture, under the name of “long-billed vulture”. However, these two species have non-overlapping distribution ranges and can be immediately told apart by trained observers, even at considerable distances. The Indian vulture is found only to the south of the Ganges and breeds on cliffs while the slender-billed vulture is found along and nests in trees.
Description
At 80 to 95 cm (31 to 37 in), in length, this mid-sized vulture is about the same size as its sister species, the Indian vulture.[7] This vulture is mostly grey with a pale rump and grey undertail coverts. The thighs have whitish down. The neck is long, bare, skinny and black. The black head is angular and narrow with the dark bill appearing narrow midway. The ear opening is prominent and exposed.[8]
Distribution and habitat
The slender-billed vulture is found in India from the Gangetic plain north, west to Himachal Pradesh, south potentially as far as northern Odisha, and east through Assam.[9] It is also found in north and central Bangladesh, southern Nepal, Burma and Cambodia.[9]
Status and conservation
This species has suffered a marked decline in its numbers in recent years. The population of this species and the Indian vulture declined by 97% overall and in India annual decline rates for both species averaged over 16% between 2000–2007. Wild populations remain from northern and eastern India through southern Nepal and Bangladesh, with a small population in Burma. The only breeding colony in Southeast Asia is in the Steung Treng province of Cambodia. This colony is thought to number about 50–100 birds. The survival of the vultures in Cambodia may have been partly because diclofenac, which is poisonous to vultures, is not available there. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has placed the approximate number of slender-billed vultures living beyond confines at about 1,000 in 2009 and predictions estimate total extinction within the next decade amongst the wild population.[10][11]
The slender-billed vulture is a protected species listed on the appendix II list of CITES, because its numbers have declined rapidly. Its decline is largely due to the use of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac in working farm animals. Diclofenac is poisonous to vultures, causing kidney failure, and is being replaced by meloxicam (another NSAID), which is not toxic to vultures.[12] The retail sale of Diclofenac is banned by law in India; however, Diclofenac is still acquired illegally and applied to livestock.[10]
Captive-breeding programs in India are aiming to conserve the species, and it is hoped that vultures can be released back in the wild when the environment is free of diclofenac.[10] Joint efforts between the RSPB and the Zoological Society of London resulted in the first successful captive breeding in 2009.[10] Two slender-billed vultures hatched and are being independently cared for in Haryana and West Bengal.[11][12]
References
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^ a b BirdLife International (2021). "Gyps tenuirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22729460A204781113. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
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^ Gray, G.R. (1844). "Vulturinae, or Vultures". The genera of birds : comprising their generic characters, a notice of the habits of each genus, and an extensive list of species referred to their several genera. Vol. 1. London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans. p. 5–6.
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^ Hume, A. O. (1878). "Gyps tenuirostris Hodgson". Stray Feathers. 7: 326.
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^ Deignan, H. G. (1946). "The correct names of three Asiatic birds" (PDF). Ibis. 88: 402–403. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1946.tb03492.x.
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^ Baker, ECS (1927) Bull. Brit. Orn. Club 47:151
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^ Rand, A. L. & Fleming, R. L. (1957). "Birds from Nepal". Fieldiana: Zoology. 41 (1): 55.
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^ Vulture facts Archived 2011-08-11 at the Wayback Machine (2011).
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^ Rasmussen, PC & JC Anderton (2005). Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Volume 2. Smithsonian Institution & Lynx Edicions. p. 90.
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^ a b Rare Birds Yearbook 2008. England: MagDig Media Lmtd. 2007. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-0-9552607-3-5.
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^ a b c d Alleyne, R. (2009). "Endangered vulture could be saved thanks to help from RSPB". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2009-08-10. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
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^ a b "Indian vulture births are hailed". BBC News. 2009-08-06. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
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^ a b Press Association (2009-08-06). "Boost for endangered vultures after captive breeding success". Guardian. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
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Slender-billed vulture: Brief Summary
provided by wikipedia EN
The slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) is an Old World vulture species native to sub-Himalayan regions and Southeast Asia. It is Critically Endangered since 2002 as the population on the Indian subcontinent has declined rapidly. As of 2021, fewer than 870 mature individuals are thought to remain.
It used to be the Indian vulture, under the name of “long-billed vulture”. However, these two species have non-overlapping distribution ranges and can be immediately told apart by trained observers, even at considerable distances. The Indian vulture is found only to the south of the Ganges and breeds on cliffs while the slender-billed vulture is found along and nests in trees.
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