Crunch in habitat, food behind dip in long-billed vulture numbers

A latest study has identified key threats to the critically endangered long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus), contributing to the continued decline in its population.

- Dinesh Bothra

JODHPUR:

The research, conducted in Barmer district, highlights the vulnerability of the species, which is crucial to ecological balance.

The study, led by Assistant Professor Ram Prakash Saran from the department of Zoology, Jai Narain Vyas University, along with research scholars Ashok Kumar Panchal and Ramesh Choudhary, focused on the distribution and nesting sites of the long-billed vulture in the region.

It found that the vulture population in Barmer is significantly smaller than previously reported. While earlier studies suggested a higher population, the current investigation recorded just 43 birds across 12 sites, with a maximum of nine vultures at one site.