Gypaetus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Bearded Vulture

Subspecies in India

This is also known as the Lammergeier.
 
This species is listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/)

 

Photo Gallery and Species Biology


This species is uncommon. It inhabits remote mountainous terrains (600m-1,700m) in Asian countries including India (mainly in the Himalaya), Iraq, Iran, Nepal, Bhutan, East Russia, and in African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Morocco, and Eritrea. This species has gone extinct in Montenegro, Serbia, Jordan, and Syria, and possibly extinct in Albania and North Macedonia. It mostly forages on carrions and a good amount of bones. In India, the breeding season for this species is December-June (BirdLife International 2017).

Conservation Status:
 
This species is listed as Near Threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (https://www.iucnredlist.org/)


According to the IUCN Red List assessment, the population of this species is declining, with the current population estimate of 1,300-6,700 individuals. The threats to its persistence come from overgrazing, breeding habitat disturbance and ingestion of highly toxic Diclofenac (an NSAID) used in livestock (BirdLife International 2017).
 
StateJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecNo date
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chandigarh
Chhattisgarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
Daman & Diu
Delhi
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh1
Jammu and Kashmir1
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Paschimbanga
Pondicherry
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand31
West Bengal
Total1131
BirdLife International 2017. Gypaetus barbatus (amended version of 2017 assessment). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T22695174A118590506.
https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T22695174A118590506.en. Accessed on 15 February 2020.
 

Page citation

Anonymous 2024. Gypaetus barbatus (Linnaeus, 1758) – Bearded Vulture. In Satose, V., A. Bayani, V. Ramachandran, P. Roy, and K. Kunte (Chief Editors). Butterflies of India, v. 2.17. Published by the Indian Foundation for Butterflies. URL: https://www.birdsofindia.org/gypaetus-barbatus, accessed 2024/11/08.