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Red-headed Vulture Index Was 86.1% Lower Long Term and Still Declining Recently in India

Red-headed vulture perched in Bandhavgarh, India
Conservation · Population & status

The 2025 interim update from State of India’s Birds reported revised national numerical estimates for red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) in India. The numerical update was released on 6 May 2026.

The long-term numerical trend was estimated at −86.1%. In practical terms, the reporting-based abundance index was only about 14% of its earlier level. The current annual estimate was −4.5% per year. Both updated estimates clearly supported a continuing decline, and the species page retains the 2023 category Rapid Decline for both time scales.

The species’ modelled distribution range in India was estimated at 213,076 km². State of India’s Birds describes the red-headed vulture as resident, specialised for forest habitats and non-endemic to India, with Madhya Pradesh listed as a key state. The species is globally Critically Endangered and retains High conservation priority in the Indian assessment.

The interim release updated numerical range and trend estimates for 942 previously assessed bird species using about 48 million eBird observations through 31 May 2025. The trend values describe change in a reporting-based abundance index rather than direct counts of individual birds. The conservation categories from the 2023 assessment were not recalculated.

Sources and image credit

  1. State of India’s Birds Partnership. (2026). State of India’s Birds: Range, trends, and conservation status – 2025 interim update (Version 2) [Data set]. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20036633Primary 2026 release, created 6 May 2026. For Red-headed Vulture, the India-wide update estimated a long-term change of −86.1% (95% CI −90.4 to −80.3), a current annual trend of −4.5% (−6.4 to −2.6), and a distribution range of about 213,076 km².

Image: RaghunathanGanesh / Wikimedia Commons — red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) photographed in Bandhavgarh, India, 1 May 2010. Representative species image, not linked to the national trend analysis. · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

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