Vulture Population Dynamics across Habitats in Bundelkhand

Vultures are birds of prey that serve a significant role in the ecosystem by scavenging on carcasses, recycling nutrients, and limiting the chances of spreading diseases. However, vultures are also known to be facing a major declining trend in their populations in South Asia, necessitating the need for protection of breeding and feeding sites. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the seasonal and spatial variation of vulture populations in five different locations, including Chaturbhuj Temple and Chhatris at Orchha, Kankar village, and the Lalitpur – Deogarh region, as well as Sipri in Jhansi as the representative habitats. The sites were associated with monuments, including cliff-nesting vultures and forest-dwelling vultures, along with rural-agricultural settlements. Vultures were observed in the pre-breeding (October-November), breeding (December-March), and post-breeding (April-June) seasons. Point counting and road transects were used for the data collection, in addition to the evaluation of nesting behavior and breeding success. The species of vultures found in the area included Gyps indicus, Gyps bengalensis, Neophron percnopterus, and Sarcogyps calvus. Findings reveal that vultures differ significantly in terms of the abundance across locations and seasons, with the location of Lalitpur Deogarh having the highest record of vultures present—85 in numbers during the breeding season, followed by Chhatris (70) and Chaturbhuj Temple (60). Kankar was the last location on the rankings, with only 28 vultures being observed during the breeding season. The findings of ANOVA showed that vulture counts statistically differed across the locations F4, 8 = 41.24, p < 0.001 and seasons F2, 8 = 21.24, p < 0.001, with the breeding success rate being the highest in Lalitpur–Deogarh (72.7%) and the lowest in Kankar (37.5%). Thus, it is evident that vultures176870812 need to be protected in Bundelkhand through the preservation of their nesting cliffs and provision of the safe sources of carcasses.