Egyptian Vulture: From Abundant Scavenger to Extinction in Tamil Nadu

Once a common sight in villages, temple towns, and grazing lands across southern India, the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) has now almost completely disappeared from its range. In less than a century, the species has become locally extinct in the Nilgiris and no longer breeds in Tamil Nadu. Conservationists are raising alarm over the pressures faced by the remaining resident population in the south, and are calling for urgent coordinated efforts, including the establishment of an Egyptian Vulture Conservation Breeding Programme in the state.

The Egyptian Vulture, one of the world's smallest vultures, is classified as Endangered globally by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its distribution spans southern Europe, northern and central Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. In India, the resident subspecies is Neophron percnopterus ginginianus, while migrant birds from Africa and the Middle East also visit during winter.

Historically, these vultures played a vital ecological role by consuming animal carcasses, thus helping maintain healthy ecosystems. They also shared a unique cultural association with several communities and temple traditions across peninsular India.

Historical records demonstrate the bird's former abundance. British ornithologist William Ruxton Davison noted in 1883 that the species was "very abundant on the Nilghiris [sic], but especially so within the station of Ootacamund and about the Badaga villages." He described them as remarkably fearless, allowing people to approach closely while feeding. A photograph taken in 1906 by Edgar Thurston depicts Egyptian Vultures being fed by temple priests at the Vedagiriswarar Temple at Tirukazhukundram, illustrating the bird's long-standing cultural ties.

As recently as 2008, K.V.R.K. Thirunaranan photographed an adult Egyptian Vulture with a chick at Devarabetta, Thally, Tamil Nadu, confirming breeding in south India until recently.

Kota communities, known for traditional leather-working, unintentionally provided feeding opportunities for vultures through the availability of livestock carcasses, allowing the birds to thrive in the Nilgiris until recent decades, according to P.J. Vasanthan, author of 'Birds of The Nilgiris: A Historical Account (1839–2025)'.

Despite its historical abundance, the Egyptian Vulture has become the first vulture species to vanish locally from the Nilgiris. Multiple factors have contributed to the decline: veterinary use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac, electrocution from power lines, accidental poisoning, disturbance of nesting cliffs, and changes in traditional livestock-rearing practices that reduced natural food resources. Socio-economic transformation among pastoral communities has also played a role, as many shifted from cattle rearing to settled agriculture.

Conservationists emphasize the need for a coordinated approach, including a dedicated breeding programme, to prevent the species from disappearing entirely from the region.