The Himalayas, is a mountain range which separates the Great Indian Plains from the Tibetan Plateau. This range is home to nine of the ten highest peaks on the Earth, including the highest, Mount Everest. The abrupt rise of the Himalayan Mountains from less than 500 meters to more than 8,000 meters in a few hundred kilometers has resulted in a huge diversity of flora and fauna. Nearly 1000 birds have been recorded in the Himalayas of which 15 species are fully endemic.
The Himalayan vulture or Himalayan griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis) is found along the Himalayas and the adjoining Tibetan Plateau. They perch on crags, favourite sites showing white marks from regular defecation. They soar in thermals and are not capable of sustained flapping flight. These vultures are susceptible to toxicity induced by diclofenac, a drug whose residues in domestic animal carcasses has led to rapid decline in populations of other Gyps vultures across Asia.
IUCN Status: Near Threatened (NT) Photo: Jan Reurink