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Indian White-backed Vulture

Conservation status

Critically Endangered

Population Trend

Decreasing

Alternate Names

White-rumped Vulture

Native Habitat

Open Countryside

Diet

Carrion

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Indian White-backed Vulture

Gyps bengalensis

The white-rumped vulture is a typical, medium-sized vulture, with an unfeathered head and neck, very broad wings, and short tail feathers. It is much smaller than the Eurasian Griffon. It has a white neck ruff. The adult's whitish back, rump, and underwing coverts contrast with the otherwise dark plumage. The body is black and the secondaries are silvery grey. The head is tinged in pink and bill is silvery with dark ceres. The nostril openings are slit-like. Juveniles are largely dark and take about four or five years to acquire the adult plumage. In flight, the adults show a dark leading edge of the wing and has a white wing-lining on the underside. The undertail coverts are black.

Regional Names
  • Assamese:
    পাতি শগুণ
  • Gujarati:
    ગીધ, શ્વેતપીઠ ગીધ
  • Hindi:
    बंगाल का गिद्ध, सफ़ेद पीठ वाला गिद्ध
  • Malayalam:
    ചുട്ടിക്കഴുകൻ
  • Marathi:
    पांढर्‍या पाठीचे गिधाड
  • Nepali:
    डंगर गिद्ध
  • Oriya:
    ଶାଗୁଣା
  • Tamil:
    வெண்முதுகுக் கழுகு
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Taxanomy

ACCIPITRIFORMES
ACCIPITRIDAE
Gyps bengalensis