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Himalayan Griffon Index Showed Clear Long-term Decline, While Recent Trend Was Unclear

Himalayan griffon perched in a tree in Uttarakhand, India
Conservation · Population & status

The 2025 interim update from State of India’s Birds reported revised national numerical estimates for Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis) in India. The numerical update was released on 6 May 2026.

The long-term numerical trend was estimated at −41.3% and clearly supported a long-term decline. The current annual estimate was −1.9% per year, but the uncertainty was too broad to establish a clear recent increase or decline.

The species’ modelled distribution range in India was estimated at about 267,884 km². State of India’s Birds describes the Himalayan griffon as a resident and winter migrant in India, and the species is globally listed as Near Threatened.

The interim release updated numerical range and trend estimates for species already included in the national assessment using the expanded eBird-based dataset. The trend values describe change in a reporting-based abundance index rather than direct counts of individual birds. Conservation-priority categories themselves were retained from the previous assessment rather than recalculated in this interim numerical update.

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 interim dataset release updating range, long-term trend and current annual trend estimates.
  2. State of India’s Birds Partnership. (2026). Himalayan Vulture (Gyps himalayensis) factsheet – 2025 update.Species factsheet displaying the national 2025 update: long-term trend −41.34% (−58.78 to −17.02), current annual trend −1.87% (−4.11 to +0.37), and national distribution range 267,884 km².

Image: Shiv's fotografia — Himalayan griffon (Gyps himalayensis) photographed in Uttarakhand, India, 18 February 2026; representative species image for the national trend update. Source: Wikimedia Commons. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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