Month-long vulture count to take wings from Sept 7: WWF

The count will begin on September 7, which marks the International Vulture Awareness Day, and culminate on October 6

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), India, on Friday announced a month-long vulture count across the country from next week to track the bird’s population.

An Egyptian vulture that was spotted at Asola last December.

The count will begin on September 7, which marks International Vulture Awareness Day, and culminate on October 6.

In Delhi, the count will be carried out at two locations — Ghazipur landfill and Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary -- by WWF-India in collaboration with Bird Count India and eBird.

Vultures are considered essential indicators of a healthy ecosystem and act as the scavenger crew of nature. By feeding on carrion, they also prevent the spread of diseases, which could otherwise affect wildlife, livestock and humans.

Their population in India was generally on the decline due to several threats, including ingestion of toxic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as diclofenac that they consume while feeding on carcasses, WWF said.

WWF-India said the count will help in monitoring the vulture population.

The public are also encouraged to take part in the count, for which a virtual orientation will be held by birder Nirav Bhatt on September 6, it said.

Dr. Dipankar Ghose, senior director, Biodiversity Conservation, WWF-India, said that Delhi and National Capital Region once boasted a fairly large number of vultures. However, their numbers have dwindled drastically, he added.

“Thanks to proactive birdwatching groups and citizen science tools such as eBird, enthusiasts are now travelling to areas such as Asola to catch a glimpse of the species such as red-headed vulture and cinereous vulture, which were seen last December after three decades. WWF-India is supporting such efforts through the vulture count initiative,” Ghosh said. However, the focus will be particularly on key vulture species, including white-rumped vulture, red-headed vulture, Indian vulture, bearded vulture, slender-billed vulture, Himalayan griffon, Eurasian griffon, Egyptian vulture and cinereous vulture, he added.

As part of a survey on raptors (birds of prey) in 2022, researchers from the Bombay Natural History Society found the presence of the critically endangered red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) and the endangered Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) at Asola.

More recently, in December last year, a cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus) was also spotted at Asola.