Slender-billed Vulture

The slender-billed vulture is an Old World vulture of the sub-Himalayan regions and Southeast Asia, once included in the Indian, or long-billed, vulture. At 80–95 cm long, with a wingspan of 196–258 cm, it is about the same size as its sister species. It is commonly mistaken for the Indian vulture but has a darker head and a thinner bill; it is mostly grey with a pale rump and grey undertail coverts, and a long, bare, thin black neck (Wikipedia, general species account).

Unlike the Indian vulture, which is found only south of the Ganges and breeds on cliffs, the slender-billed vulture is found along the Gangetic plain and nests in trees, usually large ones of 7–25 m, as a solitary nester. It is sedentary and does not travel far or migrate. As of 2021, fewer than 870 mature individuals were thought to remain. SoIB 2023 rates it a High conservation priority, a resident of open habitat with a Restricted range of about 27,000 km² and insufficient data on trends (Wikipedia, general species account; SoIB 2023).