Data Zone
Taxonomic source(s)
Cramp, S. and Simmons, K.E.L. (eds). 1977-1994. Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The birds of the western Palearctic. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
| Critically Endangered | Endangered | Vulnerable |
|---|---|---|
| A2abce+4abce | A2abce+4abce | A2abce+4abce; C2a(ii) |
| Year | Category | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Critically Endangered | A2abce+4abce |
| 2017 | Critically Endangered | A2bce+4bce |
| 2016 | Critically Endangered | A2bce+4bce |
| 2015 | Critically Endangered | A2bce+4bce |
| 2014 | Critically Endangered | A2bce+4bce |
| 2013 | Critically Endangered | A2bce+4bce |
| 2012 | Critically Endangered | A2bce+4bce |
| 2010 | Critically Endangered | A2b,c,e; A4b,c,e |
| 2009 | Critically Endangered | A2b,c,e; A4b,c,e |
| 2008 | Critically Endangered | |
| 2004 | Critically Endangered | |
| 2000 | Critically Endangered | |
| 1994 | Lower Risk/Near Threatened | |
| 1988 | Lower Risk/Least Concern |
| Migratory status | nomadic | Forest dependency | low |
| Land-mass type |
continent |
Average mass | 4,385 g |
| Estimate | Data quality | |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident) | 7,370,000 km2 | medium |
| Number of locations | 11-100 | - |
| Severely fragmented? | no | - |
| Estimate | Data quality | Derivation | Year of estimate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population size | 4000-6000 mature individuals | poor | estimated | 2021 |
| Population trend | decreasing | good | estimated | 1990-2024 |
| Rate of change over the past 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 99% | - | - | - |
| Rate of change over the past & future 10 years/3 generations (longer of the two periods) | 99% | - | - | - |
| Generation length | 11.3 years | - | - | - |
| Number of subpopulations | 2-100 | - | - | - |
Population justification: Formerly described as possibly the most abundant large bird of prey in the world, with a global population almost certainly numbering several million individuals, this species suffered dramatic population declines during the 1990s across its range. There are now an estimated c.6,000 individuals in India (Prakash et al. 2019), <2,000 individuals in Nepal (DNPWC 2015), c.100 individuals in Cambodia (Sum and Loveridge 2016), c.260 individuals in Bangladesh (MoEF 2016) and 250-350 individuals in Bhutan and Pakistan (Botha et al. 2017). The total population is therefore estimated to be c. 6,000-9,000 individuals, equating to 4,000-6,000 mature individuals.
Trend justification: The species declined in South-East Asia during the 20th century, apparently as a result of the collapse of large ungulate populations owing to over-harvesting by human hunters. Declines in the major part of the population throughout the Indian Subcontinent due to poisoning by the veterinary drug Diclofenac probably began in the 1990s and were very rapid, resulting in an overall population decline of greater than 99% over three generations (33.9 years [Bird et al. 2019]) (Prakash et al. 2007). More recent surveys in India suggest that this decline stopped in c.2010, and has been stable or possibly increasing slowly since then (Prakash et al. 2019). The species also declined dramatically in Pakistan, from being abundant in the 1990s to extinction in most of the country (Botha et al. 2017), although recent surveys suggest numbers may now be slowly increasing (Murn et al. 2014). Road transect surveys in Nepal during 2002-2011 revealed population declines of 14% per year (Chaudhary et al. 2012), equating to a decline of 99% over three generations, although there has since been a partial recovery (Galligan et al. 2020; Prakash et al. 2012). There was a c.60% population decline in Bangladesh during 2008-2012 (Khan 2013), equating to a decline of >99% over three generations. The population in Cambodia, which until recently had remained remained relatively stable (with a steady increase during 2004-2010), declined from 201 to 109 individuals during 2010-2016 (Loveridge et al. 2019), equating to a decline of 97% over three generations. Despite some signs of stabilisation or reversal of population declines in some areas in recent years, the global population is still estimated to have declined at a rate of c.99% over the last three generations.
| Country/Territory | Presence | Origin | Resident | Breeding visitor | Non-breeding visitor | Passage migrant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | possibly extinct | native | yes | |||
| Bangladesh | extant | native | yes | |||
| Bhutan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Brunei | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Cambodia | extant | native | yes | |||
| China (mainland) | extinct | native | yes | |||
| India | extant | native | yes | |||
| Iran, Islamic Republic of | possibly extinct | native | yes | |||
| Laos | possibly extinct | native | yes | |||
| Malaysia | extinct | native | yes | |||
| Myanmar | extant | native | yes | yes | ||
| Nepal | extant | native | yes | |||
| Pakistan | extant | native | yes | |||
| Russia | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Russia (European) | extant | vagrant | yes | |||
| Thailand | possibly extinct | native | yes | |||
| Vietnam | possibly extinct | native | yes |
| Habitat (level 1) | Habitat (level 2) | Importance | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | Urban Areas | suitable | resident |
| Forest | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Dry | suitable | resident |
| Grassland | Subtropical/Tropical Seasonally Wet/Flooded | suitable | resident |
| Savanna | Dry | suitable | resident |
| Shrubland | Subtropical/Tropical Moist | suitable | resident |
| Altitude | 0 - 1500 m | Occasional altitudinal limits | (max) 3000 m |
| Threat (level 1) | Threat (level 2) | Impact and Stresses | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops - Small-holder farming | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Unintentional effects (species is not the target) | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting - Unintentional effects: (subsistence/small scale) [harvest] | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Energy production & mining | Renewable energy | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases | Problematic native species/diseases - Plasmodium relictum | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 5 | ||||||
|
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| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression - Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Slow, Significant Declines | Medium Impact: 6 | ||||||
|
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| Other options | Other threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Majority (50-90%) | Very Rapid Declines | High Impact: 8 | ||||||
|
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| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents - Herbicides and pesticides | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Negligible declines | Low Impact: 4 | ||||||
|
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| Transportation & service corridors | Utility & service lines | Timing | Scope | Severity | Impact | ||||
| Ongoing | Minority (<50%) | Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
|
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| Purpose | Scale |
|---|---|
| Pets/display animals, horticulture | international |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/white-rumped-vulture-gyps-bengalensis on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.