A Pan-India Vulture Population Assessment (2023–2025) brought out by Wildlife Institute of India has revealed that India’s critically endangered vulture populations remain in a precarious state, with nesting colonies surviving in just 216 sites across 17 states — a steep decline from historical levels.
The report marks the first-ever systematic nationwide survey to estimate the number of breeding adults rather than total individuals, providing a more accurate picture of population viability.
The study focused on four Critically Endangered resident species — the White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis), Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus), Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), and Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) — combining literature reviews, systematic nest counts, citizen science data, and nesting information generated by the regional forest departments to produce a realistic yet conservative estimate of current breeding populations.
Across India, researchers recorded 2,410 nests (1,994 active) belonging to these species. Nearly 58% of the nests were of the cliff-nesting Indian Vulture, while 39% belonged to the tree-nesting White-rumped Vulture.
Despite this persistence, the assessment found no signs of nesting at nearly 70% of historically known sites, underscoring how India’s once-abundant vultures have become confined to fragmented, isolated pockets.
The survey also revealed that 54% of all active nests were located within Protected Areas (PAs), emphasizing the crucial role of India’s national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in preventing total collapse.
Northeast India: A Fragile Frontier
While central and northwestern states like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan continue to support the largest vulture colonies, the situation in the Northeast is far more critical. The report found that Assam is now the only state in the region sustaining a breeding population of the Slender-billed Vulture — one of the rarest vulture species in the world.
All 12 known nesting sites of the species were recorded in Upper Assam, with 20 active nests translating to just 40 breeding individuals. Once widespread across the Brahmaputra Valley and the Gangetic plains, the Slender-billed Vulture has now vanished from all its previously documented 47 nesting sites.
The vultures were found nesting primarily on Bombax ceiba (cotton trees), among the tallest remaining trees in the Brahmaputra floodplains.
However, these trees are mostly on private lands, making them highly vulnerable to felling and land conversion. Habitat degradation, coupled with secondary poisoning from pesticide-laced carcasses, continues to threaten survival.
While the White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) — another Critically Endangered species — still maintains a limited presence in Assam with 29 recorded nests (27 active), the report warns that the actual number may be higher in unsurveyed areas of Kaziranga and Manas. In contrast, the Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus) and Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) have nearly disappeared from the eastern landscape.
The assessment, which surveyed 216 vulture nesting sites across 17 states, reveals that eastern India has seen the steepest site-level declines, even in landscapes where suitable nesting trees and habitats still exist. Researchers suggest that ongoing exposure to vulture-toxic NSAIDs and habitat loss continue to block recovery, despite two decades of conservation effort.
Researchers attribute this alarming contraction to habitat loss, secondary poisoning from toxic carcasses, and rapid land-use change. The vultures were found nesting mainly on Bombax ceiba (silk cotton) and Neolamarckia cadamba(kadamb) trees — large riverine species that are increasingly felled for development and agriculture.
“Even after the ban on vulture-toxic veterinary drugs, populations in the Northeast have not recovered,” the report notes. “The entire national breeding population of Slender-billed Vultures now depends on Assam’s fragile floodplain forests.” Wildlife experts warn that if urgent conservation action is not taken, this last stronghold could collapse within a decade.
National Overview: Slow stabilisation but no real recovery
The assessment paints a mixed picture for India’s vulture conservation journey. While population declines have slowed since the early 2000s — following the ban on the veterinary drug diclofenac, which caused kidney failure in vultures — there is no evidence of meaningful recovery in any of the four Critically Endangered species.
The Indian Vulture now breeds mainly in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh, accounting for almost 63% of all recorded nesting sites, particularly within protected landscapes such as Panna, Satpura, and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserves.
The White-rumped Vulture, once widespread across India, was found nesting at 69 sites in 12 states, but only 13% of its historical colonies remain active — with Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra Valley now holding the largest breeding population.
The Red-headed Vulture was found in just five active sites nationwide, four of them in Madhya Pradesh. Based on citizen science data, its total breeding population is estimated at a mere 80 individuals. Given the solitary nature and association with dense woodland, primarily in protected forests, the nests of the Red-headed Vulture are likely to be more.
A National Wake-Up Call
The report concludes that while India’s vultures persist in fragmented colonies, the loss of 70% of historical nesting sites represents a major ecological crisis. It warns that vultures’ critical ecosystem role as natural carcass disposers is being undermined, increasing the risks of disease spread and ecological imbalance.
The study calls for renewed national coordination, involving forest departments, researchers, and community networks to ensure: monitoring and regulation of NSAID use in livestock, protection of nesting trees and cliffs in both PAs and private lands, community awareness programmes to prevent poisoning and persecution, and regular nationwide nest surveys through the new National Vulture Database established by this project.
Experts emphasise that regions like Assam, where vultures once thrived, should receive priority attention, as they still hold remnants of suitable habitat and cultural tolerance for scavenging birds.
Also Read: Stage to Streets: How Zubeen Garg became Assam’s conscience and soul
You just read a story that took days to report. Help us keep our reporters on the ground in the Northeast.
Ad-free reading, support and keep important stories alive
Support once (any amount)
Scan to pay via UPI