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RockyPlatform nestHuge · 9.8 kg
ID tip
The Himalayan vulture has dark brown greater covert feathers, tail and wing quills, but a pale buff uniform upperside and paler tipped inner secondaries; its legs are covered with buffy feathers and vary in colour from greenish grey to pale brown. The underside and under-wing coverts are pale brown or buff, almost white in some individuals. The whitish down on the head of immatures changes to yellowish in adults who have a long and pale brown ruff with white streaks and long and spiky ruff feathers.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
When to see the Himalayan Vulture
One bar for each month. Filled bars are the 9 months with records; pale bars are months with none. The wide bar is February, the month with the most records.
Where to see the Himalayan Vulture
The map shades 17 countries with regular records, and 4 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.
Recorded as a rare visitor in Russia, United Arab Emirates, Iran, Malaysia.
About the Himalayan Vulture
The Himalayan vulture or Himalayan griffon vulture is an Old World vulture native to the Himalayas and foothills in North and Northeastern India, as well as the adjacent Tibetan Plateau. After the cinereous vulture, it is the second-largest Old World vulture species, and among the world's largest true raptors. It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. It is not to be confused with the Eurasian griffon vulture, which is a visually similar, sympatric species.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Easily confused with
Cape VultureGyps coprotheresThis large vulture is of a creamy-buff colour, with contrasting dark flight and tail feathers.
Rüppell's VultureGyps rueppelliThe Rüppell's vulture is a very large vulture, noticeably outsizing the closely related white-backed vulture, with which they often occur in the wild.
White-rumped VultureGyps bengalensisThe white-rumped vulture is the smallest of the Gyps vultures, but is still a very large bird.
Side by side: Griffon Vulture vs Himalayan Vulture · Himalayan Vulture vs White-backed Vulture · Cape Vulture vs Himalayan Vulture · Himalayan Vulture vs Rüppell's Vulture · Himalayan Vulture vs White-rumped Vulture
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