Sarcogyps calvus

The black vulture, also known as the Red-headed Vulture, is a large bird of prey with no subspecies.

The black vulture is bold and aggressive, often acting alone or in pairs. It usually does not fly in the early morning, but stands still on branches or rock peaks, quietly waiting for the sun to heat up the rocks, valleys and ground on the mountain, so that the rising hot air on the ground and the cold air in the air can convect unevenly up and down. At this time, it leaps up, spreads its wings and flies into the air, using the lift generated by the thermals to soar. Without the help of this rising thermals, it would be difficult for its bulky body to continue flying or soaring in the air. It usually soars in the air for a long time while spying on food on the ground, showing great patience. It mainly feeds on the carcasses of large animals. After finding food, it flies to the vicinity of the target, first observes the surrounding movements, and then approaches the food. When feeding, it drills its head into the abdominal cavity of the animal carcass to peck at the internal organs and muscles, so the exposed head and neck are the result of long-term adaptation to this way of feeding. Its beak looks very powerful, but it is softer than the beaks of other birds of prey, and it is not "handy" to take in fresh meat. Its claws are not as sharp as those of other birds of prey, so it rarely preys on live animals and can only tear apart the decayed and softened carcasses of animals. Since it has no teeth, it does not need to chew the torn food and swallows it whole. It has a large appetite and generally eats several kilograms of food every day. When feeding on the ground, they gather in small groups. They mainly feed on animal carcasses, and sometimes also prey on birds and small mammals. They feed with other scavenging birds.

The breeding season of the black vulture is from December to January of the following year, and sometimes in February and March. They usually nest in trees in open areas such as orchards and farmlands near villages, and occasionally in trees in forest areas, sparse shrub areas or jungles. The nest is disc-shaped, made of thick and thin branches, and is padded with thin branches, green leaves, grass, animal hair and debris. Male and female birds participate in nesting activities together. Usually the male bird looks for nesting materials, and the female bird builds the nest. Each nest lays one egg, which is white and has red spots. The parents take turns incubating the eggs, and the incubation period is 45 days. The chicks are altricial, hatching underdeveloped, with eyes not yet open and covered in short down, requiring long-term feeding and care by adults.

Historical reports indicate that the black vulture was once widespread and abundant, but has experienced a massive decline in numbers and range over the past decade. The latest information shows that the species in India has experienced a rapid decline (41% per year) since 1999, with a 91% decline between the early 1990s and 2003. The decline and mortality rates in the Indian subcontinent are due to the use of pesticides, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac, which is used to treat livestock and is widely ingested by birds. Census results from Cambodia indicate that the population has remained stable since 2004 and at least until 2007. Given its rarity in Southeast Asia, it is unlikely that there are more than a few hundred individuals in the region. Due to its distribution area in India, the overall population seems unlikely to exceed 10,000 mature individuals, and it is obviously a catastrophic decline that has put the species in critically endangered status.

Listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021 ver3.1 - Critically Endangered (CR).

Listed in Appendix I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 Edition Appendix II.

Listed in the first level of the List of National Key Protected Wildlife in China.

Protect wild animals and stop eating game.

Maintaining ecological balance is everyone's responsibility!

Resident bird: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal and Vietnam.
Possibly extinct: Malaysia and Thailand.
Wandering (non-breeding): Pakistan.
In China, it is only found in Jingdong, Tengchong, Jinghong, Menghai, Mengla, Yingjiang, Lushui, Fugong and other places in Yunnan. It is a resident bird or winter migratory bird, but it is relatively rare.
The black vulture inhabits open low mountains and hills, farmland and small jungle areas, and sometimes enters dense forest areas. It soars high in the open and swampy plains up to 1,500 meters above sea level.

The color of each part of the body is very different from that of a vulture. The iris is yellow or reddish brown, the mouth is thick and strong, dark brown, the base of the lower mouth is yellow, the wax film is orange-red, and the nostrils are oval. The exposed skin on the back of the legs is dark orange-red, and the feet are dark red or flesh-colored. The body is relatively stout. The head and neck are bare and featherless, revealing orange-red skin. There is a pair of feathers on each side of the neck hanging below the ears behind the head. The huge wattles that come down are also orange-red in color. There is a circle of black bristles on the ears, and there are also some black bristles on the cheeks, before the eyes and on both sides of the head. The feathers below the neck and coverts are white, the rest of the feathers are dark brown, and the upper body also has a metallic luster. When flying, there is a white horizontal band under the black wings. The white spots on the front c