The species— rarely spotted here— has made the Capital its home; ecologists say it’s a ‘good indication’
There’s good news for city dwellers. A flock of 10 Egyptian vultures— which are rarely spotted in the city— has been living on land near the Yamuna since January.
According to experts, Egyptian vultures have nearly disappeared from the city in the last few years. Their nesting areas would include areas near the Yamuna, Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Ghazipur landfill.
“This current population is being monitored for the last two months. But, we found that their feeding habits had changed due to a loss of habitat. The birds now feed mostly on biodegradable garbage,” said ecologist T.K. Roy.
He, however, added that the return of the bird was a “good indication”.
The vulture is a useful scavenger as it feeds on carrion and keeps the environment clean. It also controls the spread of diseases from decaying carrions.
Decline in population
The Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), one among nine vulture species available in the Indian sub-continent, is a large-range distributed species in Europe, Africa and Asia, but its population has rapidly declined in India due to factors such as disturbance, poisoning, electrocution, scarcity of food and habitat loss, but largely due to the toxic effect of veterinary drug Diclofenac through livestock carcasses. Continuous efforts by BNHS for vulture conservation, Drug Controller General (India), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Animal Husbandry and Ministry of Agriculture, have, however, proved to be a boon. In 2006, the government banned Diclofenac for veterinary purposes.
