India home to 18% of world’s raptors

February 25, 2015 10:49 pm | Updated February 27, 2015 12:37 pm IST - Kolkata:

ATTN. NEWS EDITOR - THE HINDU

A group White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) takes rest in an open field in the out skirts of Guwahati city on Monday, March 27, 2006. Vultures perform a vital function as scavengers in keeping cities clean because they eat animal carcasses. Once found abundantly in northeast India, these birds are very rarely seen these days and considered them as a threatened species. The arrival of a mystery virus a decade ago has wiped out 95% of the species, and some scientists believe the gawky birds are on the brink of extinction. Alarmed at the decline in the vulture population, the Indian government has teamed up with British researchers to set up a vulture care centre in Pinjore in Haryana.   
PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR                                                                               - ATTN. NEWS EDITOR - THE HINDU



A group White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) takes rest in an open field in the out skirts of Guwahati city on Monday, March 27, 2006. Vultures perform a vital function as scavengers in keeping cities clean because they eat animal carcasses. Once found abundantly in northeast India, these birds are very rarely seen these days and considered them as a threatened species. The arrival of a mystery virus a decade ago has wiped out 95% of the species, and some scientists believe the gawky birds are on the brink of extinction. Alarmed at the decline in the vulture population, the Indian government has teamed up with British researchers to set up a vulture care centre in Pinjore in Haryana.   

PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR

ATTN. NEWS EDITOR - THE HINDU A group White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) takes rest in an open field in the out skirts of Guwahati city on Monday, March 27, 2006. Vultures perform a vital function as scavengers in keeping cities clean because they eat animal carcasses. Once found abundantly in northeast India, these birds are very rarely seen these days and considered them as a threatened species. The arrival of a mystery virus a decade ago has wiped out 95% of the species, and some scientists believe the gawky birds are on the brink of extinction. Alarmed at the decline in the vulture population, the Indian government has teamed up with British researchers to set up a vulture care centre in Pinjore in Haryana. PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR - ATTN. NEWS EDITOR - THE HINDU A group White-rumped Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) takes rest in an open field in the out skirts of Guwahati city on Monday, March 27, 2006. Vultures perform a vital function as scavengers in keeping cities clean because they eat animal carcasses. Once found abundantly in northeast India, these birds are very rarely seen these days and considered them as a threatened species. The arrival of a mystery virus a decade ago has wiped out 95% of the species, and some scientists believe the gawky birds are on the brink of extinction. Alarmed at the decline in the vulture population, the Indian government has teamed up with British researchers to set up a vulture care centre in Pinjore in Haryana. PHOTO: RITU RAJ KONWAR

India is home to 106 species of raptors, popularly known as ‘birds of prey,’ says a recent publication by the Zoological Survey of India.

The publication reveals that more than 18 per cent of the 572 species of raptors spread all over the world can be found in India alone.

“The presence of raptors in the wild serves as a barometer for ecological health. They play an important ecological role by keeping the balance, especially by controlling the population of rodents and other small mammals,” ZSI director K. Venkataraman told The Hindu

There are primarily two kinds of raptors — diurnal (day flying) and nocturnal (night flying). Out of the 333 species of diurnal birds of prey found in the world, 101 species can be found in the Indo-Malayan region. India’s bio-geographical regions support 69 species of kites, vultures, eagles, harriers, hawks, buzzards and falcons in different habitats.

“Of these 59 per cent are resident; 16 per cent are migratory; five per cent vagrant; and 19 per cent both resident and migratory. In addition, India has 32 species of owls and, being nocturnal, are less studied,” the book Raptors of India said.

Among these raptors, the Indian White-backed Vulture, the Long Billed Vulture, the Slender Billed Vulture, the Red headed Vulture and the Forest Owlet are in the ‘critically endangered’ category, and the Egyptian Vulture and the Saker are in the ‘endangered’ list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) ‘Red List.’

Some of the interesting and lesser-known species of raptors include Andaman Serpent Eagle and Great Nicobar Serpent Eagle which can only be found in the Andaman and the Great Nicobar islands respectively.

Other birds of prey like Amur Falcon, Buffy Fish Owl, Great Spotted Eagle and Chinese Sparrowhawk are also included in the book.

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