JODHPUR, Dec. 15 -- Bird researchers have recently sighted 15 red-headed vultures together in the Thar Desert near the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer, making a rare and significant event as the species is typically seen alone or in very small groups. Dr Ram Prakash Saran, assistant professor at the Department of Zoology in Jai Narain Vyas University, said the sighting took place near a water source in Myajlar village of Jaisalmer district. The group comprised six adult males, four adult females, and five juveniles. Dr Saran noted that the red-headed vulture is listed as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List. Once common across South and Southeast Asia, its population has declined sharply over the past five decades. In India alone, the species has seen a decline of about 94%. "This vulture is usually solitary and timid around carcasses. Unlike other vultures that gather in large numbers, red-headed vultures are typically observed alone or in pairs. This is why a flock of 15 vultures at one site is very unusual and significant," he said. He explained that the primary cause of the drastic fall in vulture numbers in South Asia is the veterinary drug diclofenac, which is toxic to vultures when they feed on carcasses of treated livestock. During the same observation, six other vulture species were also recorded at the site, including the Indian vulture, white-rumped vulture, Himalayan vulture, griffon vulture and cinereous vulture. According to Dr Saran, this points to the area's continued importance as a habitat for large scavenging birds. Researchers said earlier studies had already confirmed the breeding of red-headed vultures in the Thar Desert, and this latest sighting reinforces the evidence of a local breeding population. They added that water sources in the desert play a vital role in supporting vultures, serving as gathering points for birds from surrounding areas. Protecting these water bodies, they said, is essential not only for vultures but also for other desert wildlife....