RANTHAMBORE Red-headed vulture in Ranthambore
Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus): Open country and cliffs; the zone 6 grassland is the best place to look.
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In one line: Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) — IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered. Open country and cliffs; the zone 6 grassland is the best place to look.
| Scientific name | Sarcogyps calvus |
| IUCN status (global) | Critically Endangered |
| Legal protection in India | Schedule I; IUCN Critically Endangered. |
| Where our guides see it most | zone 6 (Kundal), zone 8 (Balas), zone 10 (Aantri) |
“Where our guides see it most” is a habitat pattern from our own safaris in recent seasons, not a live location. Content checked 4 November 2026.
Identification
A large black vulture with a bare red head and neck and a white patch at the thigh; a white bar on the underwing in flight.
Habitat in Ranthambore
Open country and cliffs; the zone 6 grassland is the best place to look.
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Check my date on WhatsAppBehaviour
A solitary scavenger at carcasses, dominant over smaller vultures.
When to look
Zone 6 and the outer ridges; at carcasses or soaring at midday.
Worth knowing
One of the vultures that crashed after diclofenac poisoning in the 1990s; Ranthambore still holds a few.
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Check my date on WhatsAppPhotography
In flight against the sky: expose for the bird.
Conservation
Schedule I; IUCN Critically Endangered. Status is the IUCN Red List global category; it describes the species worldwide, not the Ranthambore population.
Questions
Why is it Critically Endangered?
Indian vultures collapsed in the 1990s after feeding on cattle treated with the drug diclofenac, which is fatal to them; the species has not recovered.
Other wildlife of Ranthambore
Bengal tiger · Indian leopard · Sloth bear · Striped hyena · Golden jackal · Mugger (marsh crocodile) · Sambar deer · Chital (spotted deer) · Nilgai (blue bull) · Wild boar · Chinkara (Indian gazelle) · Hanuman langur · Indian peafowl · Caracal
Dated sightings archive
Verified entries for this species from our sightings archive: dated, zone-level, sourced. Not a live position.
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Sources and how we know
Species facts follow standard references (IUCN Red List, the Wildlife Institute of India and NTCA status reports). “Where our guides see it most” is our drivers’ own experience from recent seasons: a habitat pattern, never a live location or a promise.
- Research IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global categories)
- Research Status of Tigers in India 2022: summary report (NTCA and Wildlife Institute of India)
- Official National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Government of India
- Official Rajasthan Forest Department
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