Nest-Substrate Variation and Breeding Performance of the Critically Endangered Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus) in the Bundelkhand Landscape, Central India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59436/jsiane.483b.2583-2093Keywords:
breeding success; Bundelkhand; cliff nesting; Gyps indicus; heritage monuments; nest-site selection; reproductive ecologyAbstract
The survival of the Critically Endangered Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus) depends on appropriate nesting sites and adequate population growth in areas where breeding colonies share habitats with tourism, human settlements, and agriculture. This research examines differences in the number of active nests, nesting site characteristics, and reproductive performance across five selected sites in the Bundelkhand region of central India: the Chaturbhuj Temple, the Orchha Chhatris, Kankar village, the Lalitpur-Deogarh cliff system, and Sipri, Jhansi. The dataset examined consists of data collected over two breeding seasons between 2021 and 2024 at the sites listed above, which included examples of building colonies, cliff colonies, and tree colonies. The number of active nests increased from 120 in period 1 to 127 in period 2, although Kankar’s nest count went from six to five active nests. There were a total of 131 eggs laid, resulting in 115 hatchlings and 84 fledglings, yielding a hatching success of 87.8% and a fledging success of 73%. The breeding success at the Lalitpur-Deogarh cliff system was the highest at 72.7%, followed by the Orchha Chhatris at 66.7%, the Chaturbhuj Temple at 61.3%, Sipri, at 50% and Kankar at 37.5%. Cliff breeding sites were approximately 32 to 55 meters tall, the monument breeding sites were 28 to 48 meters, and the tree breeding sites were 8 to 15 meters tall. Natural cliffs offered the best breeding sites due to their relative stability and low disturbance as well as the fact that they are set back more than 500 meters away from human development. Colonies built on buildings experienced moderate nesting densities but were often disturbed due to tourism and construction work while tree colonies were less numerous and vulnerable to bad weather, predators, and domestic dogs. Despite the lack of statistically significant differences in breeding success rates, it is recommended that different management practices be maintained to provide optimal nesting conditions at the two sites that were found to be successful for breeding.
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