Vultures Venture Back | Fusion - WeRIndia

Good news: Vultures, who had stopped visiting Delhi in the past 20 years, seem to be returning.

Bad news: Vultures flock here to feed off carcasses that seem to be easily available now!

Three times the primary or nominate species of the endangered Egyptian vulture has been seen in and around the city. This is a migratory bird without prior records of having come here. The largest flock of birds has been seen at Bhatti Mines, where a couple of roads have divided the forests between Haryana and Delhi.

Without a corridor, animals are crossing the road but are hit many times by traffic, and become instantly available meals for birds.

The Neophron percnopterus percnopterus, or the nominate species of the Egyptian vulture with a dark grey bill, breeds in the world’s temperate regions. It moves to the south each year. In March it was seen in Dighal in Haryana, after which there were two more sightings in September—one of a single bird in Ghazipur and a flock of over 20 at Bhatti Mines.

Surya Prakash, a Delhi birder, spotted it in the Bhatti Mines, and said that the flock had juveniles as well as sub-adults. The sub-species of the vulture was the yellow-beaked Neophron percnopterus gingineanus, which is seem often around Delhi. It is smaller than the grey billed vulture. The third sub-species of the Egyptian vulture has not yet been spotted.

The Bhatti Mines seem to be a developed Ridge eco-system, with a massive water body. While it is crucial to develop the animals in this area and prevent their getting killed due to transport and forest hazards, it is also important to figure out some ways of helping the vulture guest list to keep getting longer.

Photo by Casey Allen on Unsplash(Free for Commercial Use)

Image Reference: https://unsplash.com/photos/8cg0rd8M5D0