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Egyptian vulture: the small white vulture that held on in India
सफ़ेद गिद्ध
The Egyptian vulture is the small white vulture with black wing edges and a bare yellow face, circling over village edges without a wingbeat. Indian vultures collapsed after the 1990s; this one held on in pockets such as Braj around Mathura and Vrindavan, but it is listed as Endangered and protected under Schedule I of Indian wildlife law.
A small white vulture with black wing edges, a wedge-shaped tail and a bare yellow face. It held on in some parts of the country while most Indian vultures disappeared, and it is listed as Endangered.
👀 How to recognise it
A white bird with black wing edges and a wedge-shaped tail, circling without flapping — nothing else over Mathura looks like it. Young birds are dark brown and whiten over several years.
Where to see it
Mathura
Egyptian vultures work carcass grounds, rubbish tips and the edges of villages, and they are among the few animals that make the outskirts of a town readable: where they gather, cattle are still being left out rather than removed. Braj is one of the pockets where the species held on while most Indian vultures disappeared.
Raman Reti, Gokul (often) · Pavan Sarovar (often) · Brahmand Ghat, Mahavan (often)
Vrindavan
Vultures cleared carcasses around Indian villages for centuries. Numbers collapsed after the 1990s once cattle began to be treated with the painkiller diclofenac, which poisons the birds that feed on the carcass; veterinary diclofenac was banned in India in 2006, and Braj is one of the pockets where the Egyptian vulture held on.
Bhandirvan (Bhandir Vat) (often) · Jodhpur Jhal Wetland (often) · Vrindavan Parikrama Marg (often)
What it looks like
At 47–65 cm long it is one of the smallest Old World vultures, with wings roughly 2.7 times its body length. Adults are white with black flight feathers, though wild birds often look rusty or brown, stained by mud or iron-rich soil. Young birds are dark brown and take about five years to reach adult plumage, so a mixed group over a dump can look like two different species.
The yellow face has an odd source: the Egyptian vulture is the only Old World vulture that regularly eats dung, which gives it the carotenoids behind the colour. It also takes carrion, small animals and eggs, and in Africa it is known for throwing stones to crack ostrich eggs, a habit not recorded in the Indian subspecies.
Why it is Endangered
Vultures cleared carcasses around Indian villages for centuries. From the 1990s cattle were treated with the painkiller diclofenac, which poisons the birds that feed on the carcass. Indian populations of the Egyptian vulture fell by about 35% a year after 1999; the exact cause is not established, but the decline has been linked to diclofenac. Veterinary diclofenac was banned in India in 2006.
The species is listed as Endangered by the IUCN, and under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act 2022 it sits in Schedule I, the highest category, so hunting it is an offence. Keep your distance from nests and from birds at a carcass.
Where to look in Braj
The birds work the edges of things: grazing grounds, river flats, the margins of villages. In Mathura district they circle over Raman Reti at Gokul from mid-morning, over the grazing land at Pavan Sarovar near Nandgaon and above the river bend at Brahmand Ghat. Around Vrindavan, look up from the Parikrama Marg once the air starts to warm, over the Jodhpur Jhal wetland, or over the grove at Bhandirvan through the middle of the day.
Thermals matter more than the hour: it soars on rising warm air during the warmer part of the day, which is why the notes for these places point to mid-morning and midday.
Names and legends
In ancient Egypt the bird was sacred, hence its old nickname «pharaoh's chicken». In Braj it has a blunter name, गोबर गिद्ध (gobar giddh), «the dung vulture», and in Hindi more generally सफ़ेद गिद्ध (safed giddh), «white vulture». In Tamil Nadu, the temple at Thirukalukundram near Chengalpattu was famed for a pair of these birds that reputedly came for centuries, arriving before noon to be fed by the priests.
Russian readers should note that «стервятник» is not a loose word for any vulture: it is the proper name of this one species.
❓ FAQ
Is the Egyptian vulture found in India?
Yes. It survives in pockets such as Braj (Mathura, Vrindavan), but numbers are far below what they were before the 1990s.
Why are vultures endangered in India?
The decline is linked mainly to diclofenac, a cattle painkiller that poisons vultures feeding on carcasses. Veterinary use was banned in 2006.
Is the Egyptian vulture protected in India?
Yes. It is in Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act as amended in 2022, and the IUCN lists it as Endangered.
How do I tell it from other vultures?
It is much smaller and, as an adult, white with black wing edges and a wedge-shaped tail. Young birds are dark brown but keep the same wedge tail.
Is the Egyptian vulture dangerous to people?
It is a scavenger and no danger to people is recorded. Keep your distance from birds at a carcass and from nests.