The isolation of their habitat may not be the only reason for critically endangered Indian vultures or long billed vultures (Gyps indicus) in the district to survive a possible extinction. The colours of the rocky surface of Pala Rapu cliff, the picturesque habitat in Murliguda beat in Bejjur range of Kagaznagar forest division, also seem to have aided in making the place safer for large scavenger birds by offering them excellent camouflage.
“The habitat, which currently boasts of 30 vultures, and is located on the banks of Peddavagu stream where it meets the Pranahita river, could even be millions of years old for all we know. The birds may have evolved their colours over centuries in consonance with the colours of the cliff,” opined Bejjur Forest Ranger Officer M. Ram Mohan, who leads the vulture conservation effort at Bejjur.
The sedimentary rock on the cliff displays the yellow and the grey of the wings, the white of head, neck and legs and the pink to match the colour of the feathers of the juveniles. The picture taken a few days ago by Hyderabad-based bird enthusiast and member of the Birdwatchers’ Society of Andhra Pradesh (BSAP), Hemant Kumar, lays bare all the intricacies of camouflaging in action at the Pala Rapu hill.“The long billed vulture is essentially a cliff nesting bird and like any other avian species, it has camouflage in mind while selecting its habitat,” stated BSAP member and Asian Waterfowl Count State coordinator for Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, Humayun Taher. “The 100 metre-high Bejjur habitat is safe from predators from the ground while the threat from air is taken care of by the camouflage that the vultures display,” he added. According to another BSAP member, who is Assistant Director (News) Doordarshan Kendra, Hyderabad, Surekha Aitabathula, the bird count may have decreased at the Bejjur habitat during the last two or three decades. This assumption gains strength as villagers of Nandigam, the nearest human habitation, say they used to see a large flock of vultures until the Peddavagu was polluted by effluents from Sirpur Paper Mills sometime in 1980s. “Among the major reasons for the sharp decline in the number of scavenger birds at Bejjur could be the non-availability of food. Since about three decades, there are no animal deaths in villages as cattle are sold away to slaughter houses,” Ms. Aitabathula opined.
