The Egyptian Vulture of Gachibowli Neophron percnopterus Pradeep Kumar Hill Ridge Apartments, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, India March, April 2014
The Egyptian Vulture of Gachibowli A photostory developed exclusively for the residents of Hill Ridge Apartments, Gachibowli, Hyderabad © 2014 Pradeep Kumar Narsupalli, Hyderabad, India
First sighted on 10 March 2014, this bird has been visiting us since then.
One may notice it hovering over Hill Ridge Villas and Apartments in the mornings around 8-10 am
One may also notice it perched on the top floors of the building behind our apartments.
It stays here for a considerable time viewing the surroundings for food.
Egyptian vultures are smaller, have shorter neck and elongated beak compared to other vultures
They use tools - like stones - to break egg shells
Their range covers southern Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India.
Measuring almost 3 feet from beak to tail, they have a wingspan of 6 feet
These vultures are endangered because the drug Diclofenac for treating cattle caused rapid population decline in India
Diamond shaped tail is easily noticeable during flight
Seems to be exploring a place suitable for nesting
Very often a black kite comes to drive him away
The vulture is much bigger than the kite
One day, a house crow (not in pic) passing by noticed this vulture and started challenging it. The vulture ignored the pestering crow for some time, but finally shooed it off
Dates photographed: March 10, 22, 26, 28 April 01, 02, 05, 08, 26, 28, 30 Time usually between 8 and 10 am except on two days
On April 8, two Egyptian vultures were sighted, chasing each other Male and female look alike
Goodbye for now Hope to see again