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113 Himalayan Griffons Recorded at Six Wintering Sites in Northern Pakistan

Himalayan Griffon in flight over mountainous habitat in Pakistan
Conservation · Population & status

A winter survey in Poonch River Mahasheer National Park in Azad Jammu and Kashmir recorded 113 Himalayan Griffons (Gyps himalayensis) at six sites. The study, first available online in March 2026, provides the first wintering population baseline for the species in the park.

A transect is a predefined line or route used to survey an area systematically, with observations, signs or sampling points recorded along it.

Researchers surveyed twenty one-kilometre road transects from 20 to 28 December 2018, during morning and evening periods when vultures were most active. Himalayan Griffons were recorded at Rajdhani, Degar, downstream of Gulpur, Gulpur, Barali and Aghar Colony.

Counts ranged from eight birds at Rajdhani to 29 at Degar. Barali held 23 birds, Gulpur 20, downstream of Gulpur 17 and Aghar Colony 16, giving 113 birds in total and a mean group size of 19.

The authors describe the park as an important winter habitat. Himalayan Griffons descend from higher elevations during winter and return towards higher breeding areas as summer begins, a seasonal movement the authors suggest is likely linked partly to food availability. They present the survey as a baseline for long-term monitoring of the species in northern Pakistan.

Sources and image credit

  1. Ahmad, S., Rehman, E. U., Bari, F., & Khan, T. (2026). Status of the Himalayan Griffon (Gyps himalayensis) in Poonch River Mahasheer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 58(4). https://doi.org/10.17582/journal.pjz/20250710064757Primary research article available online 31 March 2026 (early access; published 22 June 2026). A 20 km road-transect survey in Poonch River Mahasheer National Park recorded Himalayan Griffons at six locations during winter, with 113 individuals in total and a mean group size of 19. The study provides the park’s first wintering population baseline for the species.

Image: Imran Shah / Wikimedia Commons / Flickr — Himalayan Griffon photographed at Khuwat, Altit, Hunza, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan, 18 May 2016; representative image from northern Pakistan · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Source

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