Red-headed Vulture

The red-headed vulture, also called the Asian king vulture, Indian black vulture or Pondicherry vulture, is a medium-sized vulture, 76–86 cm long with a wingspan of about 1.99–2.6 m and a weight of 3.5–6.3 kg. It has a prominent naked head, deep red to orange in the adult and paler red in the juvenile, and a black body with a pale grey band at the base of the flight feathers. Males have a paler, whitish iris and females a dark brown one (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, with small disjunct populations in parts of Southeast Asia, and today its range is localised primarily to northern India. It is usually found up to about 3,000 m. Logging of nesting trees, electrocution and collisions with power lines are further threats, and may restrict its access to suitable feeding places. SoIB 2023 rates it a High conservation priority, a resident forest bird with a rapid long-term decline of about 91% and a current decline of about 7% a year (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).