New Distribution Record and the Status of Long-Billed Vulture Gyps indicus in Sindh Province of Pakistan in 2019 – 2020
New Distribution Record and the Status of Long-Billed Vulture Gyps indicus in Sindh Province of Pakistan in 2019 – 2020
Zahid Beg Mirza1,*, Naveed Ali Soomro2 and Farwah Shariff1
ABSTRACT
This paper records a new distribution of long-billed vulture in the Sindh Province of Pakistan. Existing literature on long-billed vultures provides the distribution and status of this vulture in Sindh Province but does not cover the western mountainous eco-region. IUCN Pakistan’s team conducted a pre-monsoon baseline survey in the province in the dry season in June 2019 and another survey in the vulture breeding season, in February 2020. Methodology included direct field observations and interviews of local communities. Field Guide to the Birds of Pakistan, by the senior author and other related literature, as well as the use of a high resolution camera helped in the identification of the species. During the surveys, information on the use of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, that is diclofenac and other drugs known to be harmful to vultures, were gathered through interviews. This paper suggests that the vultures and other raptors in the mountainous eco-region of Sindh are in relatively larger populations compared to the Eastern side of Sindh due to the abundance of wild ungulates in protected areas such as the Khirthar National Park.
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