Population status and breeding ecology of critically endangered Long-billed Vulture Gyps indicus in Barmer and Jaisalmer, India

Panchal, Ashok Kumar , Saran, Ram Prakash , Kumar, Ramesh

2026-01-10 CURRENT SCIENCE 2026   130(卷), 1(期), (68-82页)

查看原文

The present study evaluates the status of the Long-billed Vulture (LBV) (Gyps indicus) in the arid areas of Barmer and Jaisalmer districts, situated in the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan, India. Field surveys were conducted from 2021-2024. The study elucidates the nesting ecology, breeding outcomes, and population dynamics of the LBV across three consecutive breeding seasons (October 2021-May/June 2022, October 2022-May/June 2023, and October 2023-May/June 2024). The LBV nests were primarily found on hilly or cliff regions. A total of 35 nests were recorded across ten sites. During the first breeding season (October 2021-May/June 2022), the reproductive success was calculated as 100%, while in the second breeding season (October 2022-May/June 2023), it was calculated as 60%, and third breeding season (October 2023-May/June 2024) it was calculated as 62.5% giving an overall reproductive success of 74.17% during the 3 consecutive breeding years. The mean incubation period is +/- 54.89 days, the standard deviation (SD) is +/- 3.59, the standard error of the mean is +/- 1.15, and the standard error is +/- 1.20. The mean nestling period is +/- 105.78 days, the SD is +/- 3.27, the standard error of the mean is +/- 1.01, and the standard error is +/- 1.09. Meanwhile, the hatching time did not differ significantly across the years. During the research period, the mean and SD of population in the Barmer and Jaisalmer districts for the years 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 were mean +/- SD, 35.17 +/- 9.13, 40.34 +/- 11.19, 45.17 +/- 12.59, and 49.92 +/- 12.29, respectively. The population trend was calculated from all four years in both districts. The linear population trend in the years 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 was, respectively, R2 = 0.0129, R2 = 0.0306, R2 = 0.0107, and R2 = 0.0438. Key threats contributing to the decline of LBV populations include mining activities, habitat loss, electrocution, anthropogenic disturbances, and food scarcity.