Indian Vulture

The Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) is an Old World vulture native to India, Pakistan and Nepal. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2002, as the population severely declined. Indian vultures died of kidney failure caused by diclofenac poisoning. It breeds mainly on hilly crags in central and peninsular India. The Indian vulture is medium-sized and bulky. Its body and covert feathers are pale, its flight feathers are darker. Its wings are broad and its tail feathers are short. Its head and neck are almost bald, and its bill is rather long. It is 81–103 cm long and has a wing span of 1.96–2.38 m. As they are sexually dimorphic, males are larger than females.