White-rumped vulture

White-rumped vulture
White-rumped vulture in Mangaon, Raigad, Maharashtra
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Accipitriformes
Family: Accipitridae
Genus: Gyps
Species:
G. bengalensis
Binomial name
Gyps bengalensis
(Gmelin, JF, 1788)
Former distribution of the white-rumped vulture in red
Synonyms

Pseudogyps bengalensis

The white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis) is an Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2000, as the population severely declined. White-rumped vultures die of kidney failure caused by diclofenac poisoning.[1] In the 1980s, the global population was estimated at several million individuals, and it was thought to be "the most abundant large bird of prey in the world".[2] As of 2021, the global population was estimated at less than 6,000 mature individuals.[1]

It is closely related to the European griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus). At one time it was believed to be closer to the white-backed vulture of Africa and was known as the Oriental white-backed vulture.[3]

  1. ^ a b c BirdLife International (2021). "Gyps bengalensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22695194A204618615. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  2. ^ Houston, D. C. (1985). "Indian White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis)". In Newton, I.; Chancellor, R. D. (eds.). Conservation studies of raptors. Cambridge, U.K: International Council for Bird Preservation. pp. 456–466.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference PrakashPainCunningham2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).