Indian Vulture

Indian Vulture

Gyps indicus

Silhouette: Shyamal · PhyloPic

LCNTVUENCRCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Gwalior

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

39 Verified sightings at Gwalior
2,058 In all 10 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Indian Vulture

The Indian vulture or long-billed vulture (Gyps indicus) is a bird of prey native to the Indian subcontinent. It is an Old World vulture belonging to the family of Accipitridae. It is a medium-sized vulture with a small, semi-bald head with little feathers, long beak, and wide dark colored wings. It breeds mainly on small cliffs and hilly crags in central India and south India.

The Indian vulture is a keystone species that has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2002, as the population has severely declined during the Indian vulture crisis. It is estimated that there are 5,000-15,000 mature individuals in the wild. The main cause of the decline was identified as kidney failure caused by the drug diclofenac, which was commonly given to cattle to reduce joint pain. It is thought that diclofenac poisoned vultures that ate the flesh of dead cattle. Diclofenac bans were enacted in India, Pakistan and Nepal in 2006.

The bird shares its habitat with other vulture species in the same genus (particularly the slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris) and white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis)) in some parts of its range. The Indian vulture is placed... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:21

India · 2016

© Oscar Campbell · XC351085 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
2 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
3 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
4 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Gir National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
6 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
7 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
<5%
8 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
9 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
10 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Gwalior 🇮🇳 India
~20%
2 Bhopal 🇮🇳 India
<5%
3 Nashik 🇮🇳 India
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Indian Vulture in Gwalior?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Vulture sighting in Gwalior on a given day, based on 39 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 35th most-seen of the 86 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Indian Vulture in Gwalior?

September and November–December

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Indian Vulture in Gwalior on a given day, against about 10% in February–June and August, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see an Indian Vulture?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Indian Vulture sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Gwalior the best place to see an Indian Vulture?

Yes

Of the 3 cities where we can rate Indian Vulture sightings, Gwalior has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Bhopal (India, under 5%) and Nashik (India, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Indian Vulture live in Gwalior?

Same family: Accipitridae

The closest relatives of the Indian Vulture that you can see in Gwalior (family Accipitridae, Hawks, Eagles, and Kites) are Black Kite (about 20%) and Oriental Honey-buzzard (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Indian Vulture sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Indian Vulture is recorded against all the birds logged in Gwalior (39 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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