Telecraft Monitoring on the Breeding Ecology of Himalayan Griffon Vulture Gyps himalayensis in Tianshan Mountains
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Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography,Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

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    Abstract:

    Himalayan Griffon or Himalayan Vulture (Gyps himalayensis) is almost endemic to China. It is relatively rare in neighboring nations. It is known to people as a mysterious highland raptor species. Many people found this bird species disgusting because they scavenge on dead bodies, especially when people learn that they were actually feeding on human fresh in the stunning sky-burial ceremony. Other than that, few were known about their living cycle. Himalayan GriffonThe Vulture Gyps himalayensis is preference to nest on the cliffs (elevation from 2400 m to 4800 m), it is very dangerous to climb the cliff to observe the reproductive process. From April to September, 2014, we tried to find and shoot monitor the nest with domestic micro air vehicle (MAV or UAV monitoring). We also used the route search method and behavioral scanning method, conducted habitat surveys, nest number statistics, analysis of nest material, egg or young number count, nestling growth and development, reproduction cycles, diet and food analysis. Most of vultures built their nests on the southern slope facing the sun (c. 78.6%, n=112). The nest materials were consisted of mainly fine reeds such as Poa spp., Elymus spp.), Stipa spp., Agropyron cristatum, Elymus sibiricus and that was rather different from that of other raptors. This demonstrates that Himalayan Vulture have a very delicate heart for their nest and chick. The clutch size is only one (n=21). Breeding cycle included nest building from January to March, egg laying from Jan to Apr (different times), egg sitting from Apr to Jun, and young birds leaving the nests from Jul to Oct. Chick raising lasted as long as 3-4 months, and the longest being 5 months (hatching in March, leaving nest in August). That was relatively long indeed.

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MA Ming, TING ZHOU, XU Guo-Hua, DAO Caiwu-Jiapu, AIZIJIANG Maimaiti-Ming, XING Rui, LUO Biao, WU Dao-Ning. 2015. Telecraft Monitoring on the Breeding Ecology of Himalayan Griffon Vulture Gyps himalayensis in Tianshan Mountains. Chinese Journal of Zoology, 50(2): 306-310.

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History
  • Received:September 15,2014
  • Revised:February 09,2015
  • Adopted:February 04,2015
  • Online: March 23,2015
  • Published:
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