THOOTHUKUDI: Birdwatchers in Thoothukudi are delighted as the district is playing host to the Egyptian vulture -- a visitor that rarely comes to this part of the country. The bird of prey has been sighted only ten times in Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli districts in the last 10 years.
Known as Kodangi Kazhugu and Thirukazhukundra Kazhugu in Tamil, they scavenge at dumpyards and feed on carcasses of dead animals. These vultures, which also feed on eggs of other birds, have the special characteristic of using tools to break them open.
Bird enthusiast Vinoba Anand said the bird was sighted at Vallanadu in 2014, Vagaikulam and Kaspa tank in 2015, Vallanadu in 2017, Kootampuli in 2019 and Mudivaithanendal in 2020.
"It has also been sighted in Tirunelveli four times, besides Pattukottai in March 2020 and Cumbum in January 2020 and February 2021," he said, quoting data available online.
Vinoba said Egyptian vultures sighted in the southern districts are juveniles and sub-adults. The juveniles flaunt brown feathers while those of sub-adults are a blend of white and brown and those of adults are white.
The vultures are expected to descend on Moyar Canyon in the foothills of the Nilgiri mountain ranges. "They fly down south looking for grasslands where they could feed on dead animals and carcasses," Vinoba said.
A birdwatcher, Sakthi Manickam, said he sighted the vulture at Perungulam tank near Sivagalai in September and at Vallanadu foothills a year ago. Another birdwatcher Dr Narayanan said he had sighted the bird a few years ago.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, vulture conservator Dr S Barathidasan of Arulagam Trust said the sighting of Egyptian vultures down south is encouraging. "Egyptian vultures are a critically endangered species in India though there are good numbers in European countries as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Kazhugumalai in Thoothukudi was one of their havens decades ago," he said, adding no adult Egyptian vulture has been sighted for years.
He said the last breeding pair of the vultures in Tamil Nadu was recorded eight years ago at Thenkanikottai near Hosur. "Meanwhile, Ramnagara and Mysore in neighbouring Karnataka have recorded breeding," he pointed out.
Egyptian vultures were once commonly found across Tamil Nadu, but the population began to decline after their habitat came under threat.
The reason for the decline of Egyptian vultures is yet to be studied. "However, it is widely believed that feeding on poisoned rats, harmful effluents of leather tanning industries and the toxification of dumpyards might have caused their disappearance," Barathidasan added.