Vulture distribution and people perception of vultures in Pokhara Valley, Nepal

Preference of trees for nest building by critically endangered white-rumped vultures (Gyps bengalensis) in Nepal

White-rumped vultures (Gyps bengalensis) are critically endangered species, and protecting their habitats, particularly the nesting trees, may have a positive impact on their reproductive success. For a better understanding of vultures' habitat needs, the characteristics of nesting trees should be accounted. In this paper, we compare the characteristics of the trees that have vultures' nests and that do not by randomly select a control tree within a 10 m radius of the nesting tree. We extensively searched and monitored the white-rumped vultures' nests, nesting trees, and nesting tree species in Nepal between 2002 and 2022, and measured the characteristics of sampled trees such as their height, girth, canopy spread, branching orders, and whorls. We recorded 1161 nests of white-rumped vulture in total on 194 trees belonging to 19 species over the past two decades. White-rumped vultures preferred the kapok trees (Bombax ceiba) for nest construction than other tree species (χ 2 = 115.38, df = 1, p < .001) as 66.49% of nests were built on them. In the logistic regression model, the number of whorls on a tree, canopy spread, and the height of the first branch determined whether a nest was present or absent on a tree. These results help to prioritize the tree attributes in a habitat conservation plan for vultures.

Factors Influencing the Potential Distribution of Globally Endangered Egyptian Vulture Nesting Habitat in Nepal

Habitat suitability is crucial to ensure the long-term persistence of species and can be identified based on relationships between species occurrences and underlying abiotic and biotic factors. We identified potential nesting habitat for the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Nepal using ecological niche modeling with climatic variables. We estimated the currently suitable nesting habitat for Egyptian vulture in Nepal at 38,204 km². We found a high probability of suitable nesting habitat on east-facing aspects, and the probability of a suitable nesting habitat was greater in more mountainous areas, particularly in central and western regions of Nepal. Precipitation was a major factor for predicting probability of the presence of nest sites for Egyptian vultures. After identifying potentially suitable habitat, we identified environmental factors affecting landscape-level suitable nesting habitat for Egyptian vultures using generalized linear models. For Egyptian vultures, sites near forests and human settlements were most suitable for nesting, roosting, and foraging, especially in central and western Nepal. Based on potentially suitable nesting habitat and previous work on Egyptian vulture foraging and roosting habitat, we recommend protecting forests near water sources and open areas for their long-term conservation.