Himalayan vulture: Difference between revisions

Himalayan vulture
Conservation status
	; Near Threatened (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Accipitriformes
Family:	Accipitridae
Genus:	Gyps
Species:	G. himalayensis
Binomial name
	Gyps himalayensis; Hume, 1869

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The Himalayan vulture (Gyps himalayensis) or Himalayan griffon vulture is an Old World vulture native to the Himalayas and foothills in North and Northeastern India, as well as the adjacent Tibetan Plateau. After the cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), it is the second-largest Old World vulture species, and among the world's largest true raptors. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List.^[1] It is not to be confused with the Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), which is a visually similar, sympatric species.^[3]

Description

The Himalayan vulture has dark brown greater covert feathers, tail and wing quills, but a pale buff uniform upperside and paler tipped inner secondaries; its legs are covered with buffy feathers and vary in colour from greenish grey to pale brown. The underside and under-wing coverts are pale brown or buff, almost white in some individuals. The whitish down on the head of immatures changes to yellowish in adults who have a long and pale brown ruff with white streaks and long and spiky ruff feathers.^[6]

The pale blue facial skin is lighter than the dark blue in Gyps fulvus with this species having a yellowish bill. In flight the long fingers are splayed and there is a pale patagial stripe on the underwing. The wing and tail feathers are dark and contrast with the pale coverts and body, one of the best methods to distinguish this species from the slightly smaller griffon vulture.^[4]^[7] The feathers on the body have pale shaft streaks.^[6]^[8]^[9]

It is the largest of the Gyps species, averaging larger in every method of measurement than its relatives, and is perhaps the largest and heaviest bird in the Himalayas.^[5] Weight in Himalayan vultures ranges from 6 kg (13 lb)^[10] to 12.5 kg (28 lb).^[11] It has been estimated to weigh an average of 9 kg (20 lb), but weights vary with conditions from 8–12 kg (18–26 lb).^[5]^[12]^[13] Published measurements of the wingspan vary from 2.56 to 3.1 m (8 ft 5 in to 10 ft 2 in), a similar range to that of cinereous vulture,^[5]^[6] but the wingspan varies greatly depending on the method used to measure them.^[14]

It differs from the similar-coloured Indian vulture (G. indicus) by a stouter, more robust bill; younger birds have a pale bill and tend to have buffy-white streaks on the scapulars and wing coverts contrasting with dark brown underparts.^[6] It is similar in size to the cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), which typically has a slightly shorter overall length but can weigh more than the Himalayan vulture.^[5]^[15]

Distribution

The Himalayan vulture lives mainly in the higher regions of the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau at the elevation range of 1,200–5,500 m (3,900–18,000 ft). It is distributed from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Iran to Pakistan to India, Nepal, Bhutan to western China and Mongolia.^[1] Juvenile birds may however disperse further south, and vagrants have been recorded in Thailand, Burma, Singapore and Cambodia.^[16]

Behaviour and ecology

Diet

The Himalayan vulture perches on crags, favourite sites showing white marks from regular defecation. They tend to not range below an elevation of 1,215 m (3,986 ft).^[6] Himalayan vultures often bask in the sun on rocks. They soar in thermals and are not capable of sustained flapping flight. Flocks may follow grazers up the mountains in their search for dead animals. This vulture makes a rattling sound when descending on a carcass and can grunt or hiss at roosts or when feeding on carrion.^[4] While feeding, individuals may make cackling sounds to defend their food from other vultures or even reprimand them. They are social birds, and are hence found in large flocks, while even being accompanied by crows (observed with other vulture species as well). Such crows cannot interfere with the flocks (as vultures are physically larger and stronger than crows), but vehicular traffic, human interference, and attacks from herding dogs can pose a disturbance.

They have been recorded eating carrion exclusively, some which is fed on even when putrid.^[6] On the Tibetan Plateau, it was noted that 64% of their diet was obtained from deceased domestic yak (Bos grunniens).^[17] The birds fed on old carcasses, sometimes even waiting for several days near a dead animal.^[4]^[18] However, each vulture species has a specialty diet: Himalayan vultures largely disdain offal (which is readily eaten by other vulture species), typically eating only fleshy tissue.^[6] Historically, Himalayan vultures regularly fed on human corpses left out on Celestial burial grounds.^[6]

The Himalayan vulture is fairly defensive around other scavengers, such as foxes or smaller felines, and typically dominates other meat-eaters at carcasses, though it is subservient to gray wolves (Canis lupus), snow leopards (Panthera uncia) and cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus).^[6] In a large party, these vultures can reportedly strip a carcass of all tissue in 30 minutes, and do the same to a yak carcass in roughly 120 minutes.^[6] Himalayan vultures have been observed feeding on pine (Pinus roxburghii) needles, an unexplained behaviour that cannot be for obtaining nutrition, but may be done to access essential oils and terpenes in the needles for digestive or immunity benefits.^[19]

Breeding

The breeding season begins in January. The nest is a platform of sticks placed on an inaccessible ledge on a cliff. Nest in northeastern India have been recorded at between 1,215 and 1,820 m (3,986 and 5,971 ft) in elevation, but those in Tibet have been as high as 4,245 m (13,927 ft).^[6] Several pairs may nest on the same cliff face, with between five and seven pairs being a typical colony size.^[6] The nests are relatively small for the large size of these birds and, although grow larger with repeated uses, do not generally get as massive as the nest of other large accipitrids.^[6] There is at least one recorded instance of Himalayan vultures using a nest made by bearded vultures (Gypaetus barbatus).^[6] On the Tibetan Plateau, Himalayan and bearded vultures were observed nesting in close proximity without conflict, which is notable because in several other cases of adjacent interspecies nesting by Old World vultures (including some involving bearded vultures) have resulted in high aggression and interspecies attacks.^[20] A single white egg marked with red splotches is the usual clutch.^[18] Egg laying dates in northern India have ranged from December 25 to March 7.^[6] The egg is coarse and oval and can measure from 87 to 103.6 mm (3.43 to 4.08 in) in height and 65 to 74 mm (2.6 to 2.9 in) in width, with an average of 94.8 by 70.1 mm (3.73 by 2.76 in).^[6] In captivity the incubation period was about 54–58 days. The young birds stay on with the parents for six to seven months.^[21]

Threats

Himalayan vultures are susceptible to toxicity induced by diclofenac, a drug whose residues in domestic animal carcasses has led to rapid declines in populations of other Gyps vultures across Asia.^[22] The Himalayan griffon vulture populations have however not shown signs of rapid decline,^[17] although reductions in nesting birds have been noted in some parts of its range in Nepal.^[23]^[24]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c BirdLife International (2017). "Gyps himalayensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22695215A118594518. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22695215A118594518.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^ Hume, A.O.H. (1869). "Gyps fulvus, Gmel. (Gyps himalayensis, nobis.)". My scrap book: or rough notes on Indian oology and ornithology. Calcutta: C.B. Lewis, Baptist Mission Press. pp. 12–18.
^ Ram, Mohan; Sahu, Aradhana; Tikadar, Shyamal; Gadhavi, Devesh; Rather, Tahir Ali; Jhala, Lahar; Zala, Yashpal (December 2022). "MDPI-Home Range, Movement and Activity Patterns of Six Vulture Species". Ecologies. 3 (4): 492–507. doi:10.3390/ecologies3040035.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Rasmussen, P.C. & Anderton, J.C. (2005). Birds of South Asia, The Ripley Guide. Vol. 2. Washington DC and Barcelona: Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. pp. 90–91.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Ferguson-Lees, J. & Christie, D. (2001). Raptors of the World. Helm Identification Guides. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 717–719. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q Brown, L. & Amadon, D. (1986). Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World. The Wellfleet Press. ISBN 978-1555214722.
^ Alström, P. (1997). "Field identification of Asian Gyps vultures". OBC Bull. 25: 32–49.
^ Baker, E.C.S. (1928). The Fauna of British India: Birds. Vol. 5 (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis. pp. 13–15.
^ Blanford, W.T. (1895). "Gyps himalayensis. The Himalayan Griffon". The Fauna of British India. Vol. 3. Birds. London: Taylor and Francis. p. 321.
^ Barathidasan, R.; Singh, S.D.; Saini, M.; Sharma, A. & Dhama, K. (2013). "The first case of angioinvasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis)". Avian Biology Research. 6 (4): 302–306. doi:10.3184/175815513X13818257354160. S2CID 87695235.
^ Grzimek, B.; Schlager, N.; Olendorf, D. & McDade, M.C. (2004). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. Volume 8: Birds. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale.
^ Namgail, T. & Yom-Tov, Y. (2009). "Elevational range and timing of breeding in the birds of Ladakh: the effects of body mass, status and diet" (PDF). Journal of Ornithology. 150 (2): 505–510. Bibcode:2009JOrni.150..505N. doi:10.1007/s10336-008-0369-8. S2CID 29756171.
^ Schlee, M.A. (1989). "Breeding the Himalayan griffon Gyps himalayensis at the Paris menagerie". International Zoo Yearbook. 28: 234–240. doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1989.tb03288.x.
^ Winker, K. (1998). "Suggestions for measuring external characters of birds" (PDF). Ornitologia Neotropical. 9: 23–30.
^ Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. (1996). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-87334-20-2.
^ Li, D.L. & Kasorndorkbua, C. (2008). "The status of the Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in South-East Asia". Forktail. 24: 57–62.
^ ^a ^b Lu, X.; Ke, D.; Zeng, X.; Gong, G. & Ci, R. (2009). "Status, Ecology, and Conservation of the Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis (Aves, Accipitridae) in the Tibetan Plateau". Ambio: A Journal of the Human Environment. 38 (3): 166–173. Bibcode:2009Ambio..38..166L. doi:10.1579/0044-7447-38.3.166. PMID 19580034. S2CID 22551672.
^ ^a ^b Ali, S. & Ripley, S.D. (1978). Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. Vol. 1 (Second ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 302–304.
^ Atkore, V. M. & Dasgupta, S. (2006). "Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis feeding on chir pine Pinus roxburghii needles". Indian Birds. 2 (6).
^ Katzner, T.E.; Lai, C.H.; Gardiner, J.D.; Foggin, J.M.; Pearson, D. & Smith, A.T. (2004). "Adjacent nesting by Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus and Himalayan griffon Gyps himalayensis on the Tibetan Plateau, China". Forktail. 20: 94–96.
^ Schlee, M.A. (1989). "Breeding the Himalayan griffon Gyps himalayensis at the Paris Menagerie". International Zoo Yearbook. 28: 234–240. doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1989.tb03288.x.
^ Das, D.; Cuthbert, R.J.; Jakati, R.D. & Prakash, V. (2011). "Diclofenac is toxic to the Himalayan Vulture Gyps himalayensis". Bird Conservation International. 21 (1): 72–75. doi:10.1017/S0959270910000171.
^ Acharya, R.; Cuthbert, R.; Baral, H.S. & Shah, K.B. (2009). "Rapid population declines of Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in Upper Mustang, Nepal" (PDF). Bird Conservation International. 19: 99–107. doi:10.1017/S0959270908007417.
^ Virani, M.Z.; Giri, J.B.; Watson, R.T. & Baral, H.S. (2008). "Surveys of Himalayan Vultures (Gyps himalayensis) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Mustang, Nepal" (PDF). Journal of Raptor Research. 42 (3): 197–203. doi:10.3356/JRR-07-35.1. S2CID 52059532.

External links

Himalayan griffon vulture videos Archived 2007-09-26 at the Wayback Machine. The Internet Bird Collection

[iucn-1] BirdLife International (2017). "Gyps himalayensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22695215A118594518. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22695215A118594518.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.

[2] Hume, A.O.H. (1869). "Gyps fulvus, Gmel. (Gyps himalayensis, nobis.)". My scrap book: or rough notes on Indian oology and ornithology. Calcutta: C.B. Lewis, Baptist Mission Press. pp. 12–18.

[3] Ram, Mohan; Sahu, Aradhana; Tikadar, Shyamal; Gadhavi, Devesh; Rather, Tahir Ali; Jhala, Lahar; Zala, Yashpal (December 2022). "MDPI-Home Range, Movement and Activity Patterns of Six Vulture Species". Ecologies. 3 (4): 492–507. doi:10.3390/ecologies3040035.

[pcr-4] Rasmussen, P.C. & Anderton, J.C. (2005). Birds of South Asia, The Ripley Guide. Vol. 2. Washington DC and Barcelona: Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions. pp. 90–91.

[RaptorsWorld-5] Ferguson-Lees, J. & Christie, D. (2001). Raptors of the World. Helm Identification Guides. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 717–719. ISBN 0-7136-8026-1.

[Brown-6] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q Brown, L. & Amadon, D. (1986). Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World. The Wellfleet Press. ISBN 978-1555214722.

[7] Alström, P. (1997). "Field identification of Asian Gyps vultures". OBC Bull. 25: 32–49.

[fbi2-8] Baker, E.C.S. (1928). The Fauna of British India: Birds. Vol. 5 (2nd ed.). Taylor and Francis. pp. 13–15.

[fbi1-9] Blanford, W.T. (1895). "Gyps himalayensis. The Himalayan Griffon". The Fauna of British India. Vol. 3. Birds. London: Taylor and Francis. p. 321.

[10] Barathidasan, R.; Singh, S.D.; Saini, M.; Sharma, A. & Dhama, K. (2013). "The first case of angioinvasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis)". Avian Biology Research. 6 (4): 302–306. doi:10.3184/175815513X13818257354160. S2CID 87695235.

[11] Grzimek, B.; Schlager, N.; Olendorf, D. & McDade, M.C. (2004). Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. Vol. Volume 8: Birds. Farmington Hills, Michigan: Gale.

[12] Namgail, T. & Yom-Tov, Y. (2009). "Elevational range and timing of breeding in the birds of Ladakh: the effects of body mass, status and diet" (PDF). Journal of Ornithology. 150 (2): 505–510. Bibcode:2009JOrni.150..505N. doi:10.1007/s10336-008-0369-8. S2CID 29756171.

[13] Schlee, M.A. (1989). "Breeding the Himalayan griffon Gyps himalayensis at the Paris menagerie". International Zoo Yearbook. 28: 234–240. doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1989.tb03288.x.

[14] Winker, K. (1998). "Suggestions for measuring external characters of birds" (PDF). Ornitologia Neotropical. 9: 23–30.

[HBW-15] Del Hoyo, J.; Elliot, A. & Sargatal, J. (1996). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 3. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-87334-20-2.

[16] Li, D.L. & Kasorndorkbua, C. (2008). "The status of the Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in South-East Asia". Forktail. 24: 57–62.

[tibet-17] Lu, X.; Ke, D.; Zeng, X.; Gong, G. & Ci, R. (2009). "Status, Ecology, and Conservation of the Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis (Aves, Accipitridae) in the Tibetan Plateau". Ambio: A Journal of the Human Environment. 38 (3): 166–173. Bibcode:2009Ambio..38..166L. doi:10.1579/0044-7447-38.3.166. PMID 19580034. S2CID 22551672.

[hbk-18] Ali, S. & Ripley, S.D. (1978). Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan. Vol. 1 (Second ed.). New Delhi: Oxford University Press. pp. 302–304.

[19] Atkore, V. M. & Dasgupta, S. (2006). "Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis feeding on chir pine Pinus roxburghii needles". Indian Birds. 2 (6).

[20] Katzner, T.E.; Lai, C.H.; Gardiner, J.D.; Foggin, J.M.; Pearson, D. & Smith, A.T. (2004). "Adjacent nesting by Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus and Himalayan griffon Gyps himalayensis on the Tibetan Plateau, China". Forktail. 20: 94–96.

[21] Schlee, M.A. (1989). "Breeding the Himalayan griffon Gyps himalayensis at the Paris Menagerie". International Zoo Yearbook. 28: 234–240. doi:10.1111/j.1748-1090.1989.tb03288.x.

[22] Das, D.; Cuthbert, R.J.; Jakati, R.D. & Prakash, V. (2011). "Diclofenac is toxic to the Himalayan Vulture Gyps himalayensis". Bird Conservation International. 21 (1): 72–75. doi:10.1017/S0959270910000171.

[23] Acharya, R.; Cuthbert, R.; Baral, H.S. & Shah, K.B. (2009). "Rapid population declines of Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in Upper Mustang, Nepal" (PDF). Bird Conservation International. 19: 99–107. doi:10.1017/S0959270908007417.

[24] Virani, M.Z.; Giri, J.B.; Watson, R.T. & Baral, H.S. (2008). "Surveys of Himalayan Vultures (Gyps himalayensis) in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Mustang, Nepal" (PDF). Journal of Raptor Research. 42 (3): 197–203. doi:10.3356/JRR-07-35.1. S2CID 52059532.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Species of bird}}
-{{Taxobox
+{{Speciesbox
-| name = Himalayan (Griffon) Vulture
-| status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
+| status = NT
+| status_system = IUCN3.1
+| status_ref = <ref name=iucn>{{cite iucn |title=''Gyps himalayensis'' |author=BirdLife International |date=2017 |page=e.T22695215A118594518 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22695215A118594518.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}</ref>
-| status_ref = {{sfn|IUCN redlist}}
-| image = Himalaya vulture (bya rgod ) (2926948182).jpg
+| image = Himalayan_Griffon_(Gyps_himalayensis).jpg
-| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
+| genus = Gyps
+| species = himalayensis
-| phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]]
+| authority = [[Allan Octavian Hume|Hume]], 1869<ref>{{cite book |author=Hume, A.O.H. |year=1869 |title=My scrap book: or rough notes on Indian oology and ornithology |location=Calcutta |publisher=C.B. Lewis, Baptist Mission Press |pages=12–18 |chapter=''Gyps fulvus'', Gmel. (''Gyps himalayensis'', nobis.) |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/myscrapbookorrou00hume/page/12/mode/2up}}</ref>
-| classis = [[Bird|Aves]]
+| range_map = GypsHimalayensisMap.svg
-| ordo = [[Falconiformes]]<br />(or [[Accipitriformes]], q.v.)
-| familia = [[Accipitridae]]
-| genus = ''[[Gyps]]''
-| species = '''''G. himalayensis'''''
-| binomial = ''Gyps himalayensis''
-| binomial_authority = [[Allan Octavian Hume|Hume]], 1869
 }}
-[[File:Juvenile Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis).jpg|thumb|left|Juvenile in flight]]
-The '''Himalayan Vulture''' or '''Himalayan Griffon Vulture''' (''Gyps himalayensis'') is an [[Old World vulture]] in the family [[Accipitridae]], which also includes [[eagle]]s, [[kite (bird)|kites]], [[buzzard]]s and [[hawk]]s. It is closely related to the [[Europe]]an [[Griffon Vulture]], ''G. fulvus''.
+The '''Himalayan vulture''' ('''''Gyps himalayensis''''') or '''Himalayan griffon vulture''' is an [[Old World vulture]] native to the [[Himalayas]] and foothills in [[North India|North]] and [[Northeast India|Northeastern India]], as well as the adjacent [[Tibetan Plateau]]. After the [[cinereous vulture]] (''Aegypius monachus''), it is the second-largest Old World vulture species, and among the world's largest true [[Accipitridae|raptor]]s. It is listed as [[Near Threatened]] on the [[IUCN Red List]].<ref name=iucn /> It is not to be confused with the [[Eurasian griffon vulture]] (''Gyps fulvus''), which is a visually similar, [[sympatric]] species.<ref>{{cite journal|title=MDPI-Home Range, Movement and Activity Patterns of Six Vulture Species|journal=Ecologies |date=December 2022 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=492–507 |doi=10.3390/ecologies3040035 |doi-access=free |last1=Ram |first1=Mohan |last2=Sahu |first2=Aradhana |last3=Tikadar |first3=Shyamal |last4=Gadhavi |first4=Devesh |last5=Rather |first5=Tahir Ali |last6=Jhala |first6=Lahar |last7=Zala |first7=Yashpal }}</ref>
-Adults are {{convert|103|–|150|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, have a span of {{convert|260|–|310|cm|ft|abbr=on}} across the wings and weigh {{convert|8|-|12|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Oiseaux-Birds" /> Among extant birds of prey only the cinereous vulture approaches similar dimensions.  <ref>″Oiseaux-Birds″</ref>  It breeds on crags in mountains in the [[Himalayas]] and [[Tibet]], laying a single egg. Birds may form loose colonies. The population is mostly resident.
+==Description==
-Like other [[vulture]]s it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of [[animal]]s, which it finds by soaring over open areas and mountains. These birds often move in flocks.
+[[File:Himalayan Vulture, Dhauladhar Range.jpg|thumb|Adult spotted in [[Dhauladhar]] range]]
+[[File:Juvenile Himalayan Griffon Vulture (Gyps himalayensis).jpg|thumb|Juvenile in flight]]
+{{birdbox
+|pop1=<ref name=pcr/><ref name=RaptorsWorld /><ref name="Brown"/>
+|data1={{birdbox/population |unit=mm |length=1030-1150 |wing=755-805 |tail=355-405 |tarsus=110-126
+|culmen=71-77}}
+}}
+The Himalayan vulture has dark brown greater [[covert feather]]s, tail and wing quills, but a pale buff uniform upperside and paler tipped inner secondaries; its legs are covered with buffy feathers and vary in colour from greenish grey to pale brown. The underside and under-wing coverts are pale brown or buff, almost white in some individuals. The whitish down on the head of immatures changes to yellowish in adults who have a long and pale brown [[Ruff (bird)|ruff]] with white streaks and long and spiky ruff feathers.<ref name="Brown">{{cite book |title=Eagles, Hawks and Falcons of the World |author1=Brown, L. |author2=Amadon, D. |name-list-style=amp |publisher=The Wellfleet Press |date=1986 |isbn=978-1555214722}}</ref>
-The Himalayan Griffon Vulture is a typical vulture, with a bald white head, very broad wings, and short tail feathers. It is even larger than the European Griffon Vulture. It has a white neck ruff and yellow bill. The whitish body and [[wing covert]]s contrast with the dark flight feathers.
+The pale blue facial skin is lighter than the dark blue in ''Gyps fulvus'' with this species having a yellowish bill. In flight the long fingers are splayed and there is a pale patagial stripe on the underwing. The wing and tail feathers are dark and contrast with the pale coverts and body, one of the best methods to distinguish this species from the slightly smaller griffon vulture.<ref name=pcr>{{cite book |author1=Rasmussen, P.C. |author2=Anderton, J.C. |name-list-style=amp |year=2005 |title=Birds of South Asia, The Ripley Guide |volume=2 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution and Lynx Edicions |place=Washington DC and Barcelona |pages=90–91}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Alström, P. |year=1997 |title=Field identification of Asian ''Gyps'' vultures |journal=OBC Bull |volume=25 |pages=32–49}}</ref> The feathers on the body have pale shaft streaks.<ref name="Brown"/><ref name=fbi2>{{cite book |title=The Fauna of British India: Birds |volume=5 |edition=2nd |year=1928 |author=Baker, E.C.S. |publisher=Taylor and Francis |pages=13–15 |url=https://archive.org/stream/BakerFbiBirds5/BakerFBI5#page/n31/mode/1up}}</ref><ref name=fbi1>{{cite book |year=1895 |title=The Fauna of British India |volume=3. Birds |publisher=Taylor and Francis |place=London |author=Blanford, W.T. |chapter=''Gyps himalayensis''. The Himalayan Griffon |page=321 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/birdsindia03oaterich#page/321/mode/1up}}</ref>
-This vulture grunts and hisses at roosts or when feeding on [[carrion]].
+It is the largest of the ''Gyps'' species, averaging larger in every method of measurement than its relatives, and is perhaps the largest and heaviest bird in the Himalayas.<ref name=RaptorsWorld/>
-== Notes ==
+Weight in Himalayan vultures ranges from {{cvt|6|kg}}<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Barathidasan, R. |author2=Singh, S.D. |author3=Saini, M. |author4=Sharma, A. |author5=Dhama, K. |name-list-style=amp |year=2013 |title=The first case of angioinvasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a Himalayan Griffon Vulture (''Gyps himalayensis'') |journal=Avian Biology Research |volume=6 |issue=4 |pages=302–306 |doi=10.3184/175815513X13818257354160 |s2cid=87695235}}</ref> to {{cvt|12.5|kg}}.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Grzimek, B. |author2=Schlager, N. |author3=Olendorf, D. |author4=McDade, M.C. |name-list-style=amp |year=2004 |title=Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia |volume=((Volume 8: Birds)) |location=Farmington Hills, Michigan |publisher=Gale}}</ref> It has been estimated to weigh an average of {{cvt|9|kg}}, but weights vary with conditions from {{cvt|8|-|12|kg}}.<ref name=RaptorsWorld/><ref>{{cite journal |journal=Journal of Ornithology |year=2009 |volume=150 |pages=505–510 |issue=2 |s2cid=29756171 |doi=10.1007/s10336-008-0369-8 |title=Elevational range and timing of breeding in the birds of Ladakh: the effects of body mass, status and diet |author1=Namgail, T. |author2=Yom-Tov, Y. |bibcode=2009JOrni.150..505N |name-list-style=amp |url=http://www.reg.wur.nl/NR/rdonlyres/CF6DD450-51CA-46E7-950A-5655E5E00336/92675/NamgailYomTovBirds.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Schlee, M.A. |year=1989 |title=Breeding the Himalayan griffon ''Gyps himalayensis'' at the Paris menagerie |journal=International Zoo Yearbook |volume=28 |pages=234–240 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.1989.tb03288.x}}</ref> Published measurements of the wingspan vary from {{cvt|2.56|to|3.1|m}}, a similar range to that of cinereous vulture,<ref name= RaptorsWorld/><ref name="Brown"/> but the wingspan varies greatly depending on the method used to measure them.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Ornitologia Neotropical |volume=9 |pages=23–30 |year=1998 |title=Suggestions for measuring external characters of birds |author=Winker, K. |url=https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/on/v009n01/p0023-p0030.pdf}}</ref>
-{{reflist
-| refs =
+It differs from the similar-coloured [[Indian vulture]] (''G. indicus'') by a stouter, more robust bill; younger birds have a pale bill and tend to have buffy-white streaks on the scapulars and wing coverts contrasting with dark brown underparts.<ref name="Brown"/> It is similar in size to the [[cinereous vulture]] (''Aegypius monachus''), which typically has a slightly shorter overall length but can weigh more than the Himalayan vulture.<ref name=RaptorsWorld>{{cite book |author=Ferguson-Lees, J. |author2=Christie, D. |name-list-style=amp |year=2001 |title=Raptors of the World |publisher=Christopher Helm |series=[[Helm Identification Guides]] |location=London |pages=717–719 |isbn=0-7136-8026-1}}</ref><ref name="HBW">{{cite book |title=[[Handbook of the Birds of the World]] |author1=Del Hoyo, J. |author2=Elliot, A. |author3=Sargatal, J. |name-list-style=amp |year=1996 |publisher=[[Lynx Edicions]] |location=[[Barcelona]] |isbn=84-87334-20-2 |volume=3}}</ref>
-<ref name="Oiseaux-Birds">
-{{cite web
-| title = Himalayan Griffon Vulture
-| publisher = Oiseaux-Birds.com
-| url = http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-himalayan-griffon-vulture.html
-| accessdate = 2011-05-31
-}}
-</ref>
+==Distribution==
-}}
+[[File:Himalayan griffon (Gyps Himalayensis) in Spiti.JPG|thumb|Himalayan griffons in [[Lahaul and Spiti district|Spiti]]]]
+The Himalayan vulture lives mainly in the higher regions of the Himalayas and the [[Tibetan Plateau]] at the elevation range of {{cvt|1200-5500|m}}. It is distributed from [[Kazakhstan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iran]] to [[Pakistan]] to [[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Bhutan]] to [[western China]] and [[Mongolia]].<ref name=iucn /> Juvenile birds may however disperse further south, and vagrants have been recorded in [[Thailand]], [[Burma]], [[Singapore]] and [[Cambodia]].<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Forktail |title=The status of the Himalayan Griffon ''Gyps himalayensis'' in South-East Asia |author1=Li, D.L. |author2=Kasorndorkbua, C. |name-list-style=amp |volume=24 |year=2008 |pages=57–62 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256491501}}</ref>
+==Behaviour and ecology==
-== References ==<!-- FieldMusNatHistZoolSer18:343. Forktail16:147. -->
-* {{IUCN
-  | id = 144352
-  | assessors = [[BirdLife International]]
-  | taxon = ''Gyps himalayensis''
-  | assessment_year = 2009
-  | version = 2010.4
-  | accessdate = 2011-05-31
-  | ref = {{harvid|IUCN redlist}}
-  }}
+===Diet===
-== External links ==
+The Himalayan vulture perches on crags, favourite sites showing white marks from regular defecation. They tend to not range below an elevation of {{cvt|1215|m}}.<ref name="Brown"/> Himalayan vultures often bask in the sun on rocks. They soar in thermals and are not capable of sustained flapping flight. Flocks may follow grazers up the mountains in their search for dead animals. This vulture makes a rattling sound when descending on a carcass and can grunt or hiss at roosts or when feeding on [[carrion]].<ref name=pcr/> While feeding, individuals may make cackling sounds to defend their food from other vultures or even reprimand them. They are social birds, and are hence found in large flocks, while even being accompanied by crows (observed with other vulture species as well). Such crows cannot interfere with the flocks (as vultures are physically larger and stronger than crows), but vehicular traffic, human interference, and attacks from herding dogs can pose a disturbance.
-{{commons category|Gyps himalayensis}}
-* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=620 Himalayan Griffon Vulture videos]. The Internet Bird Collection
+They have been recorded eating carrion exclusively, some which is fed on even when putrid.<ref name="Brown" /> On the Tibetan Plateau, it was noted that 64% of their diet was obtained from deceased domestic [[yak]] (''Bos grunniens'').<ref name="tibet" /> The birds fed on old carcasses, sometimes even waiting for several days near a dead animal.<ref name="pcr" /><ref name="hbk">{{cite book |author1=Ali, S. |author2=Ripley, S.D. |name-list-style=amp |year=1978 |edition=Second |title=Handbook of the birds of India and Pakistan |volume=1 |publisher=Oxford University Press |place=[[New Delhi]] |pages=302–304}}</ref> However, each vulture species has a specialty diet: Himalayan vultures largely disdain [[offal]] (which is readily eaten by other vulture species), typically eating only fleshy tissue.<ref name="Brown" /> Historically, Himalayan vultures regularly fed on human corpses left out on [[Sky burial|Celestial burial grounds]].<ref name="Brown" />
-{{Old World vultures}}
+The Himalayan vulture is fairly defensive around other scavengers, such as [[Fox|foxes]] or smaller [[Felidae|felines]], and typically dominates other meat-eaters at carcasses, though it is subservient to [[gray wolf|gray wolves]] (''Canis lupus''), [[snow leopard]]s (''Panthera uncia'') and cinereous vultures (''Aegypius monachus'').<ref name="Brown" /> In a large party, these vultures can reportedly strip a carcass of all tissue in 30 minutes, and do the same to a yak carcass in roughly 120 minutes.<ref name="Brown" /> Himalayan vultures have been observed feeding on [[pine]] (''Pinus roxburghii'') needles, an unexplained behaviour that cannot be for obtaining nutrition, but may be done to access [[Essential oil|essential oils]] and [[Terpene|terpenes]] in the needles for digestive or immunity benefits.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Indian Birds |volume=2 |issue=6 |year=2006 |title=Himalayan Griffon ''Gyps himalayensis'' feeding on chir pine ''Pinus roxburghii'' needles |author1=Atkore, V. M. |author2=Dasgupta, S. |name-list-style=amp  |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237302481}}</ref>
+===Breeding===
+The breeding season begins in January. The nest is a platform of sticks placed on an inaccessible ledge on a cliff. Nest in northeastern India have been recorded at between {{cvt|1215|and|1820|m}} in elevation, but those in Tibet have been as high as {{cvt|4245|m}}.<ref name="Brown"/> Several pairs may nest on the same cliff face, with between five and seven pairs being a typical colony size.<ref name="Brown"/> The nests are relatively small for the large size of these birds and, although grow larger with repeated uses, do not generally get as massive as the nest of other large accipitrids.<ref name="Brown"/> There is at least one recorded instance of Himalayan vultures using a nest made by [[bearded vulture]]s (''Gypaetus barbatus'').<ref name="Brown"/> On the Tibetan Plateau, Himalayan and bearded vultures were observed nesting in close proximity without conflict, which is notable because in several other cases of adjacent interspecies nesting by Old World vultures (including some involving bearded vultures) have resulted in high aggression and interspecies attacks.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Katzner, T.E. |author2=Lai, C.H. |author3=Gardiner, J.D. |name-list-style=amp |author4=Foggin, J.M. |author5=Pearson, D. |author6=Smith, A.T. |year=2004 |title=Adjacent nesting by Lammergeier ''Gypaetus barbatus'' and Himalayan griffon ''Gyps himalayensis'' on the Tibetan Plateau, China |journal=Forktail |volume=20 |pages=94–96}}</ref> A single white egg marked with red splotches is the usual clutch.<ref name=hbk/> Egg laying dates in northern India have ranged from December 25 to March 7.<ref name="Brown"/> The egg is coarse and oval and can measure from {{cvt|87|to|103.6|mm}} in height and {{cvt|65|to|74|mm}} in width, with an average of {{cvt|94.8|by|70.1|mm}}.<ref name="Brown"/> In captivity the incubation period was about 54–58 days. The young birds stay on with the parents for six to seven months.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Schlee, M.A. |year=1989 |title=Breeding the Himalayan griffon ''Gyps himalayensis'' at the Paris Menagerie |journal=International Zoo Yearbook |volume=28 |pages=234–240 |doi=10.1111/j.1748-1090.1989.tb03288.x}}</ref>
+==Threats==
+{{See also|Indian vulture crisis}}
+[[File:Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.jpg|alt=Himalayan griffon in Jalpaiguri, West Bengal|thumb|Himalayan vultures in [[Jalpaiguri]], West Bengal]]
+[[File:Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) near Jalpaiguri, West Bengal.jpg|thumb|Himalayan griffon near Jalpaiguri]]
+Himalayan vultures are susceptible to toxicity induced by [[diclofenac]], a drug whose residues in domestic animal carcasses has led to rapid declines in populations of other ''Gyps'' vultures across Asia.<ref>{{Cite journal |author1=Das, D. |author2=Cuthbert, R.J. |author3=Jakati, R.D. |author4=Prakash, V. |name-list-style=amp |title=Diclofenac is toxic to the Himalayan Vulture ''Gyps himalayensis'' |journal=Bird Conservation International |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=72–75 |year=2011 |doi=10.1017/S0959270910000171 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The Himalayan griffon vulture populations have however not shown signs of rapid decline,<ref name=tibet>{{cite journal |journal=Ambio: A Journal of the Human Environment |volume=38 |issue=3 |pages=166–173 |year=2009 |doi=10.1579/0044-7447-38.3.166 |title=Status, Ecology, and Conservation of the Himalayan Griffon ''Gyps himalayensis'' (Aves, Accipitridae) in the Tibetan Plateau |author=Lu, X. |author2=Ke, D. |author3=Zeng, X. |author4=Gong, G. |author5=Ci, R. |name-list-style=amp |pmid=19580034 |bibcode=2009Ambio..38..166L |s2cid=22551672}}</ref> although reductions in nesting birds have been noted in some parts of its range in Nepal.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Bird Conservation International |year=2009 |volume=19 |pages=99–107 |doi=10.1017/S0959270908007417 |title=Rapid population declines of Himalayan Griffon ''Gyps himalayensis'' in Upper Mustang, Nepal |author1=Acharya, R. |author2=Cuthbert, R. |author3=Baral, H.S. |author4=Shah, K.B. |name-list-style=amp |url=https://save-vultures.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/rapid_population_declines_of_himalayan_griffon_gyps_himalayensis_in_upper_mustang_nepal.pdf |doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Virani, M.Z. |author2=Giri, J.B. |author3=Watson, R.T. |author4=Baral, H.S. |name-list-style=amp |year=2008 |title=Surveys of Himalayan Vultures (''Gyps himalayensis'') in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Mustang, Nepal |journal=Journal of Raptor Research |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=197–203 |doi=10.3356/JRR-07-35.1 |s2cid=52059532 |url=https://save-vultures.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Suveys-of-Himalayan-vultures....pdf}}</ref>
+==References==
+{{Reflist}}
+== External links ==
+{{Commons category|Gyps himalayensis}}
+* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=620 Himalayan griffon vulture videos] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926212335/http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=620 |date=2007-09-26 }}. The Internet Bird Collection
+{{Vulture}}
-[[Category:Gyps]]
+{{Taxonbar|from=Q643101}}
-[[Category:Old World vultures]]
-[[Category:Birds of Pakistan]]
-[[Category:Birds of Nepal]]
-[[Category:Birds of Bhutan]]
-[[Category:Birds of Southeast Asia]]
-[[Category:Birds of Thailand]]
+[[Category:Gyps|Himalayan vulture]]
-[[az:Himalay qarakərkəsi]]
+[[Category:Old World vultures|Himalayan vulture]]
-[[br:Gup Himalaya]]
+[[Category:Birds of the Himalayas]]
-[[ca:Voltor de l'Himàlaia]]
+[[Category:Birds of Tibet]]
-[[de:Schneegeier]]
+[[Category:Birds described in 1869|Himalayan vulture]]
-[[es:Gyps himalayensis]]
+[[Category:Taxa named by Allan Octavian Hume|Himalayan vulture]]
-[[eo:Himalaja gipo]]
-[[fr:Vautour de l'Himalaya]]
-[[it:Gyps himalayensis]]
-[[he:נשר ההימלאיה]]
-[[kk:Құмай]]
-[[hu:Havasi fakókeselyű]]
-[[ms:Burung Hereng Himalaya]]
-[[mn:Хималайн хажир]]
-[[nl:Sneeuwgier]]
-[[pnb:ہمالیائی گدھ]]
-[[pl:Sęp himalajski]]
-[[ru:Снежный гриф]]
-[[th:แร้งสีน้ำตาลหิมาลัย]]
-[[zh:高山兀鹫]]

Measurements
^[4]^[5]^[6]

Length		1,030–1,150 mm (40.6–45.3 in)
Culmen		71–77 mm (2.8–3.0 in)
Wing		755–805 mm (29.7–31.7 in)
Tail		355–405 mm (14.0–15.9 in)
Tarsus		110–126 mm (4.3–5.0 in)