Assam has emerged as the last refuge of one of India’s rarest vultures, even as a nationwide assessment by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) warns that nearly three-fourths of the country’s historical nesting sites have fallen silent. The study, which forms the first comprehensive mapping of vulture nesting patterns across India in decades, reveals that Assam now holds the only surviving breeding population of the critically endangered slender-billed vulture.
The assessment, conducted between February 2023 and January 2025, identified 120 active nesting sites out of 425 historically documented locations across 25 states. Scientists also mapped 93 new sites, bringing the current total to 213, but the broader picture underscores a deepening conservation crisis.
Researchers involved in the Pan India Assessment and Monitoring of Endangered Species, Vultures report said that vulture populations continue to face severe ecological pressures despite stabilisation trends recorded since 2007. The white-rumped vulture, Indian vulture, slender-billed vulture and red-headed vulture, all resident breeding species, remain in precarious condition with limited signs of recovery.
Assam’s importance stands out sharply in the case of the slender-billed vulture. Once spread across the Gangetic plains and the Brahmaputra valley, the species has disappeared from all 47 of its historical nesting locations. The WII survey found active nests at only 12 newly identified sites, all situated in Upper Assam. The species, which now nests primarily on Bombax ceiba (silk cotton trees), is increasingly threatened by habitat degradation and tree loss in floodplain ecosystems. Scientists warned that without targeted interventions, even this final stronghold may be at risk.
According to the report, vulture nesting is now increasingly concentrated in the central and north-western regions, particularly Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan together account for nearly 63 per cent of all nests recorded, with more than 60 per cent located inside protected areas.
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The survey found 2,410 nests across species, with the Indian vulture emerging as the most widespread., retaining 86 historical sites and adding 24 new ones. Yet, it has vanished from 30 per cent of previously recorded locations. The white-rumped vulture’s decline is even more dramatic: only 69 of its 238 known sites remain active, with the species absent from nearly 90 per cent of its historical range.
The red-headed vulture was found nesting at five new sites, while the Himalayan griffon, a partial migrant, was recorded at eight locations. Among migratory breeders, the Egyptian vulture showed 24 nests across 11 newly mapped sites.
A separate survey of carcass dumping grounds highlighted another danger: the near-total absence of resident Gyps species at feeding sites. Researchers observed that feral dogs increasingly dominate these areas, preventing vultures from accessing carrion. This disruption, they noted, may be a critical factor limiting the recovery of breeding populations.
“There is an urgent need to integrate carcass management into broader conservation planning to maintain the utility of these sites for threatened and migratory scavengers. This includes regulation of carcass quality (ensuring remains are free of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), exclusion of feral dogs, and routine monitoring of species use and population trends,” the report stated.
Lead author R Suresh Kumar said the study offers a “crucial baseline” for conservation efforts. “This forms a crucial baseline as to just how many nests of each of the vultures currently occurs across their range in India and most importantly where these sites are, underscoring the urgent need for targeted conservation interventions,” he said.
Scientists and conservationists have underscored that the continued ban on diclofenac and other toxic veterinary drugs is essential but insufficient without habitat protection, feeding-site management and community-based monitoring. For the slender-billed vulture in particular, Assam’s remaining floodplain forests now carry the responsibility of safeguarding an entire species’ future.
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