The Indian region is incredibly rich in bird life. Over 1,200 of the world's 8,650 species of birds are found in this region (Grewal, 1995). In India, there are eight species of the Old World vultures found in different geographical regions (Ali and Ripley, 1987; Grewal, 1995; Kazmierozak, 2000), including: King vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), Cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus), Eurasian griffon (Gyps fulvus), and Himalayan griffon (Gyps bengalensis). Of these eight species, two species viz. Lammergeier and Himalayan griffon have not been observed in and around Jodhpur, while the remaining six species have been observed there. Most vultures feed on carcasses. They do not attack men or livestock. Usually vultures obtain food from carnivore kills in the forests, meat at slaughterhouses and carcass dumping grounds of municipal corporations. Vultures are the most eco-friendly birds. They help us save our planet from infectious diseases by feeding upon dead animals even during natural disasters like floods, droughts, famines and epidemics. It is now claimed that they have become endemic to some parts of India but their ecology, population dynamics, seasonal migration, causes of population decline, etc. are not known.
展开▼
