Why in the News?
The Bombay Natural History Society, along with the Maharashtra Forest Department, successfully tagged 15 long billed vultures at Melghat Tiger Reserve to support conservation and tracking efforts.
About Long-Billed Vulture
- An Old World vulture native to the Asian region
- Also called Indian long billed vulture due to its elongated beak
- Medium sized, bulky scavenger feeding mainly on animal carcasses
- Females are smaller than males
Habitat and Distribution
- Found in savannas and open landscapes
- Common near villages, towns, and cultivated areas
- Native to India, Pakistan, and Nepal
Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
- Population decline mainly linked to diclofenac poisoning, habitat loss, and food scarcity
| Vultures which used to be very common in Indian countryside some years ago are rarely seen nowadays. This is attributed to: (2016)
(a) the destruction of their nesting sites by new invasive species (b) a drug used by cattle owners for treating their diseased cattle (c) scarcity of food available to them (d) a widespread, persistent and fatal disease among them |
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