INDIAN VULTURE CRISIS

Vulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved,

usuallyscavenging birds of prey: the New World vultures, including
the Californian andAndean condors; and the Old World vultures, including the
birds that are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains.
Research has shown that some traditional Old World vultures (including
the bearded vulture) are not closely related to the others, which is why the vultures
are to be subdivided into three taxa rather than two. New World vultures are found
in North and South America; Old World vultures are found in Europe, Africa and
Asia, meaning that between the two groups, vultures are found on every continent
except Australia andAntarctica.
A particular characteristic of many vultures is a bald head, devoid of
normal feathers. Although, it has been historically believed to help keep the head
clean when feeding, research has shown that the bare skin may play an important
role inthermoregulation. Vultures have been observed to hunch their bodies and
tuck in their heads in the cold, and open their wings and stretch their necks in the
heat.
A group of vultures is called a wake, committee, venue, kettle, or volt. The
termkettle refers to vultures in flight, while committee, volt, and venue refer to
vultures resting in trees. Wake is reserved for a group of vultures that are feeding. [2]
[3]
The word Geier (taken from the German language) does not have a precise
meaning inornithology; it is occasionally used to refer to a vulture in English, as in
some poetry.
Vultures are classified into two groups: Old World vultures and New World
vultures. The similarities between the two different groups are due to convergent
evolution.
Feeding
Vultures rarely attack healthy animals, but may kill the wounded or sick. When a
carcass has too thick a hide for its beak to open, it waits for a larger scavenger to
eat first.[4] Vast numbers have been seen upon battlefields. They gorge themselves
when prey is abundant, until their crop bulges, and sit, sleepy or half torpid, to
digest their food. These birds do not carry food to their young in their claws, but
disgorge it from the crop.
Vultures are of great value as scavengers, especially in hot regions.
Vulture stomach acid is exceptionally corrosive, allowing them to safely digest
putrid carcasses infected with Botulinum toxin, hog cholera, and anthrax bacteria

that would be lethal to other scavengers. New World vultures often vomit when
threatened or approached. Contrary to some accounts, they do not "projectile
vomit" on their attacker as a deliberate defense, but it does lighten their stomach
load to make take-off easier, and the vomited meal residue may distract a predator,
allowing the bird to escape.[6]
New World vultures also urinate straight down their legs; the uric acid kills
bacteria accumulated
Endangered
Main article: Indian vulture crisis
Vultures in south Asia, mainly in India and Nepal, have declined dramatically since
the early 1990s.[8] It has been found that this decline was caused by residues of the
veterinary drug Diclofenac in animal carcasses.[9] The government of India has
taken very late cognizance of this fact and has banned the drug for animals.
[10]
However, it may take decades for vultures to come back to their earlier
population level. The same problem is also seen in Nepal where government has
taken some late steps to conserve remaining vultures.