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INTRODUCTION
The Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis is a poorly
known vulture, formerly accepted as resident or migrating
only altitudinally within Sino-Himalaya and Central Asia
(Thiollay 1994, Grimmett et al. 1999, Ferguson-Lees
and Christie 2001). This vulture has now also been found
in continental South-East Asia (e.g. Wells 1999, Robson
2002, Gilbert et al. 2006). Since 1979, over 30 instances
have been reported in Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia,
Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore (e.g. Lim 1998, Wells
1999, Robson 2002, Gilbert et al. 2006, Tordoff et al. in
press), with recent anecdotal evidence of occurrence in
neighbouring north-west Indonesia (K. C. Tsang in litt.
2008). Most of these records occurred during the boreal
winter and, where age was determined, involved immature
individuals, including apparent juveniles. The complete
absence of earlier reports from the region suggests new
outward dispersive behaviour, although observer coverage
has been generally poor in the past.
Range and biology
Himalayan Griffon is the largest Asian Gyps vulture
(Thiollay 1994) and second largest regional raptor after
the Cinereous (Monk) Vulture Aegypius monachus. Its
main geographical range consists of the high uplands of
central and southern Asia, from Kazakhstan and
Afghanistan in the west through the Altai and Tien Shan
ranges, Tibetan plateau and Himalayas east to western
China (Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu, Ningxia) and
Mongolia (Ali 1962, Ali and Ripley 1968, Meyer de
Schauensee 1984, Inskipp and Inskipp 1985,
Knystautas 1993, Thiollay 1994, Grimmett et al. 1999,
MacKinnon and Phillipps 2000, Ferguson-Lees and
Christie 2001). According to latitude, breeding occurs at
elevations of between 600 and 4,500 m. Foraging birds
are seen as high as 5,000 m or more and non-
breeding altitudinal migrants spend the boreal winter
down to plains level, having been recorded as low as
175 m near Bharatpur, eastern Rajasthan, India,
immediately south of the Himalayas (Ferguson-Lees and
Christie 2001).
As with other Gyps vultures, Himalayan Griffons are
mainly specialists on large mammal (including livestock)
carrion, their food being found visually while soaring,
either directly or by monitoring other scavenging birds,
e.g., other vultures and corvids. Their large body-size
confers feeding dominance over other vulture species in
mixed gatherings at a carcass, except in the presence of
Cinereous Vulture (Thiollay 1994, Grimmett et al. 1999,
Ferguson-Lees and Christie 2001).
OCCURRENCE IN SOUTH-EAST ASIA
The synopsis of records of the Himalayan Griffon
presented here draws on published data and
correspondence with review committees and individual
observers. It includes only those records that are reliably
and adequately documented. From 1979 to 2008 there
were over 30 records, involving many more individual
vultures, in possibly increasing numbers, and from all
countries of political South-East Asia except Laos and
Vietnam. More than half (i.e., 16 records) came from
Thailand (P. D. Round in litt. 2007), where observer
coverage has been extensive for a good part of this period.
In descending order by country, the rest were from
Singapore (8 records), Peninsular Malaysia (5), Myanmar
(4), Cambodia (3), and Indonesia (1). These records are
listed with their corresponding sources in Table 1.
Elsewhere, recent occurrence away from the breeding
range has also been reported at Jinju, South Korea,
apparently for the first time in north-east Asia (C. Moores
in litt. 2007). Here we present an account of the South-
East Asian records, organised by country.
Myanmar
Myanmar, whose territory is geographically nearest to
the Himalayas, surprisingly has no historical records of
Himalayan Griffon (Smythies 1953, King et al. 1975,
Robson 2000, 2002). The first national records were
reported during a series of avifaunal surveys in Kachin
state, northern Myanmar, during November–December
2004 (Tordoff et al. in press), comprising a single
individual over Kamaing town on 6 December 2004, and
groups of 11 and 23 individuals mingling with other Gyps
vultures at Indawgyi and Mogaung Chaung respectively.
Subsequent surveys using designated vulture restaurants
to assess populations of resident vulture species in Kachin
state have found large numbers of Himalayan Griffons.
As many as 93 individuals, including many juveniles, were
detected during December 2006, and the species was
present at 60% of the sites sampled (Eames 2006, 2007),
suggesting that this species is more regular and abundant
in Myanmar than formerly thought. In view of its
geographic proximity to the Sino-Himalayas, large land
area, generally low observer coverage, and the large
numbers of birds recorded particularly in the 2006 surveys,
The status of the Himalayan Griffon
Gyps himalayensis in South-East Asia
YONG DING LI and CHAIYAN KASORNDORKBUA
The Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis, a large scavenging raptor previously known to be resident to the Sino-Himalayas and Central
Asia, is increasingly being recorded throughout South-East Asia. It now been recorded in six South-East Asian countries and is represented
by a total of over 30 documented records, mostly of immature birds. The causes for the increase in sightings are unknown, but we speculate
that climate change, deforestation and hunting, coupled with natural patterns of post-fledging dispersal and navigational inexperience
may be contributing to this change.
FORKTAIL 24 (2008): 57–62
Himalayan Griffons may well have passed through,
wintered and, in remote mountainous areas in the north,
even been resident without being detected.
Thailand
Some of the earliest reports of the Himalayan Griffon
were of captives held in Dusit (Bangkok), Chiang Mai
and other zoo collections whose dates and places of capture
were not recorded. This also included one bird at Siam
Farm, a wildlife trading company located in Bangkok.
This record is dated 29 October 1981 and the bird was
purportedly captured in the province of Khon Kaen (P.
D. Round in litt. 2007). Wild sightings, many supported
by photographic evidence, have tended to concentrate in
the mountainous north-west (e.g., at Doi Pha Hom Pok,
Doi Ang Khang, and Mae Ngao National Park and coastal
lowlands of the south (e.g., Khao Sam Roi Yot National
Park and in Phuket and Trang provinces), but also include
Table 1. Summary of records of Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in South-East Asia.
Country/Date Locality (Province/State) Numbers Age class Source
Myanmar *
30 November 2004 Indawgyi, (Kachin) 11 4 adult, 7subadults Tordoff et al. in press
6 December 2004 Kamaing (Kachin) 1 adult Tordoff et al. in press
6 December 2004 Mogaung Chaung (Kachin) 23 2 adults, 21 subadults Tordoff et al. in press
5–6 December 2006 Nawn Kwin (Kachin) 10 All juveniles Eames (2006 )
8–10 December 2006 Indawgyi (Kachin) 6 All juveniles Eames (2006)
Thailand
29 October 1981 Not known (Khon Kaen) 1 no details BCST (P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
Undated Not known (Buriram) 1 no details BCST (P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
Undated Not known (Chiang Mai ) 1 no details BCST (P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
January 1987 Karon Bay (Phuket) 1 no details BCST (P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
21 December 1989 Sukhumvit Road (Bangkok) 7–8 no details BCST (P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
22 December 1989 Sukhumvit Road (Bangkok) 1 no details BCST (P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
7 January 1990 Khao Sam Roi Yot 1 no details BCST (P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
(Prachaup Khiri Khan)
Undated Doi Pha Hom Pok (Chiang Mai) 1 no details S. Pluemshosak (P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
December 2004 Doi Pha Hom Pok (Chiang Mai) 1 no details M. Davies and D. Damlamajak
(P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
12 December 2004 Not known (Phang Nga) 1 no details S. Rungkunakorn (P. D. Round in litt. 2007)
12 December 2006 Doi Lang, (Chiang Mai) 3 no details T. Saengdokmai in litt. 2006, Round (2007)
29 December 2006 Doi Ang Khang, (Chiang Mai) 2 no details R. Kaichid and J. Svensson in litt. 2007
23 January 2007 Yan Tah Kao, (Trang) 5 4 juveniles, 1 not aged P. Padungthin in litt. 2007
15 December 2007 Doi Lang (Chiang Mai) 2 1 juveniles, 1 subadult Kasorndorkbua (2008)
30 December 2007 Doi Lang (Chiang Mai) 8 7 juveniles, 1 subadult Kasorndorkbua (2008)
30 December 2007 Mae Ngao National Park 18 2 juveniles, 1 subadult, Kasorndorkbua (2008)
(Mae Hong Son) 15 not aged
7–8 March 2008 Khao Yai National Park, 1 juvenile Kasorndorkbua (2008)
(Nakhon Ratchasima)
Cambodia
30 December 2004 Chhep (Preah Vihear) 1 juvenile Gilbert et al. (2006)
24 February 2007 Chhep (Preah Vihear) 1 juvenile P. D. Round in litt. 2008
11 January 2008 Chhep (Preah Vihear) 1 juvenile J. Eaton in litt. 2008, B. W. Low in litt. 2008
Peninsular Malaysia
24 June 1979 Sungei Paka (Terengganu) 1 ‘immature’ Wells (1999)
20 January 1995 Muar (Johore) 1 juvenile Jeyarajasingham and Pearson (1999),
Wells (1999)
13 February 2004 Putrajaya Wetlands 1 juvenile W. C. Cheong in litt. 2007
(Federal Territory)
January 2006 Batu Pahat (Johore) 1 juvenile W. C. Cheong in litt. 2007
25 January 2008 Johor Bahru (Johore) 1 no details J. Heng in litt. 2008
Singapore
December 1989 Tuas 4 ‘immatures’ Wells (1999)
12 January 1992 Bukit Timah Nature Reserve 9 all juveniles Lim (1998), Wells (1999)
9 January 2005 Kent Ridge–Orchard Road 2 all juveniles Habitatnews (2005), Wang and Hails (2007)
23 January 2006 Changi Cove 1 juvenile Habitatnews (2006), Wang and Hails (2007)
29 December 2006 Ang Mo Kio 1 ‘immature’ A. Chia in litt. 2006
2 January 2008 Seletar 1 juvenile T. K. Lee in litt. 2008
23 January 2008 Bukit Batok Nature Park 3 all juveniles T. K. Lee in litt. 2008
2 February 2008 Braddell 1 no details A. Ng in litt. 2008
Indonesia
November/ Nirvana Gardens, Bintan, 1 juvenile K. C. Tsang in litt. 2008
December 2007 (Riau Islands)
*We are not able to trace detailed records for Myanmar from after 2006
58 YONG DING LI and CHAIYAN KASORNDORKBUA Forktail 24 (2008)
a well-documented group of eight that appeared over the
Sukhumvit road area of central Bangkok in 1989. As
elsewhere, frequency of occurrence has increased and
from 2004 onwards records became near-annual, with an
all time high of four sightings in the winter of 2007–2008,
involving nearly 30 individuals in total, including many
juveniles (Round 2006, 2008, Kasorndorkbua 2008). The
Doi Pha Hom Pok–Doi Lang massif along the Thai-
Burmese border, well-covered by local birdwatchers, has
seen the regular occurrence of Himalayan Griffons in
recent years, with eight recorded in December 2007. The
country’s largest spot count, however, comes from Mae
Ngao National Park, Mae Hong Son province, c.100 km
west of Doi Pha Hom Pok, where two juveniles, one
subadult and 15 birds of unknown age were seen in
December 2007. As suggested by the many recent records
near the northern end of the Thailand-Myanmar border,
Himalayan Griffons were probably dispersing out of
Myanmar, hence suggesting a link with the large numbers
seen in Kachin state, Myanmar.
Cambodia
Occurrence has only very recently been documented, with
a first national record from Chhep in the northern province
of Preah Vihear in 2004 (Gilbert et al. 2006). Later, there
were sporadic sightings of single individuals at the same
site during the winters of 2006–2007 (T. Clements in litt.
2008, P. D. Round in litt. 2008) and 2007–2008, when
possibly the same individual was seen a number of times
by different visiting birding groups (J. Eaton in litt. 2008,
B. W. Low in litt. 2008). This site, which is near the
Cambodia-Laos border, is also the location of a regular
vulture restaurant and is attended by large numbers of
resident Indian White-backed Gyps indicus, Slender-billed
G. tenuirostris and Red-headed Vultures Sarcogyps calvus.
Regular provision of cattle carcasses here may benefit
Himalayan Griffons as well.
Peninsular Malaysia
Records here include the only sighting made outside
northern winter months: an exhausted bird (specimen
now in the collection of the Malaysian Federal Wildlife
Department) captured at Sungei Paka, Terengganu state,
supposedly in late June 1979 (Wells 1999). This is the
only record from east of the Main Range in the Peninsula.
All others have been from the west coast plain. A lapse of
nearly 15 years occurred before the second record, of one
individual captured in Muar, Northwest Johore state and
taken into captivity at the Melaka Zoo in 1995
(Jeyarajasingham and Pearson 1999). The third was of
one rescued from the Putrajaya Wetlands Reserve, Federal
Territory and taken to Melaka Zoo in February 2004 (W.
C. Cheong in litt. 2008). Subsequently, sightings of single
individuals have been reported from Batu Pahat, also in
Northwest Johor (W. C. Cheong in litt. 2007) and one
soaring over the coast at Johor Bahru, South Johore (J.
Heng in litt. 2008).
Singapore
Two sightings of ‘large vultures’ made at Changi, eastern
Singapore, in 1999 and 2007, submitted without details,
supplement the eight accepted Singapore records, these
all occurring within a three-month window from mid-
December to February. According to Wells (1999), the
earliest documented occurrence was in December 1989:
four individuals on open, reclaimed land at Tuas,
Southwest Singapore, of which at least one was captured
and still survives in captivity at the Jurong bird park.
Subsequently, a group of nine, the largest-ever count for
Singapore, settled in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in
January 1992 (Lim and Gardner 1997, Lim 1998, Wang
and Hails 2007). After a long interval (13 years if the
unconfirmed 1999 Changi record is omitted) two juveniles
were seen in suburban southern Singapore in January
2005 (Habitatnews 2005), and 1–2 individuals have been
reported in both subsequent winters. In all cases these
have included starved birds, all juveniles too weak to fly
and soon taken into captivity for veterinary management
(J. Cheema verbally 2007). There were separate reports
during the winter of 2007–2008, compared with only
single records in the previous years, suggesting that in
Singapore, too, frequency of occurrence is increasing.
Indonesia
A Himalayan Griffon (identification supported by
photographs) has recently been reported to be held captive
in a private collection on Bintan Island, Riau Islands
province, Sumatra (K. C. Tsang in litt. 2008). In
correspondence, the owner claimed it was caught while
Figure 1. Distribution of records of Himalayan Griffon Gyps
himalayensis across South-East Asia. Myanmar: 1 Kamaing, 2 Nawn
Kwin, 3 Indawgyi, 4 Mogaung Chaung; Thailand: 5 Doi Lang, 6 Doi
Pha Hom Pok, 7 Doi Ang Khang, 8 Chiang Mai, 9 Mae Ngao National
Park, 10 Buri Ram, 11 Khon Kaen, 12 Khao Yai National Park, 13
Sukhumvit (Bangkok), 14 Kham Sam Roi Yot, 15 Surat Thani, 16
Phang Nga, 17 Karon Bay (Phuket), 18 Yan Tah Kao (Trang), 19
Patthalung; Cambodia: 20 Chhep (Preah Vihear); Malaysia: 21 Sungei
Paka (Terengganu), 22 Putrajaya Wetlands, 23 Muar, 24 Batu Pahat,
25 Johor Bahru; Singapore: 26 Singapore; Indonesia: 27 Bintan island.
Forktail 24 (2008) The status of the Himalayan Griffon Gyps himalayensis in South-East Asia 59
attempting to feed on carcasses at a local pig farm in
December 2007. While no conclusive proof of wild rather
than ‘imported’ origin is available, Bintan is only a short
distance south of Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and
the nearly 50 km water gap is probably easily crossed by
a soaring bird.
DISCUSSION
Possible reasons for occurrence in South-East Asia
Despite its large size and detectability, the striking lack of
mention of Himalayan Griffon in all except recent South-
East Asian ornithological literature suggests that this
species was historically absent from the region. Several
hypotheses have been proposed to explain this apparent
change of status, none based on more than intelligent
guesswork, and even circumstantial evidence is lacking
because no information is available on the true geographic
origin (i.e. the source populations) of the birds involved
or on their journey routes. Wells (1999) and Wang and
Hails (2007) implicated the bird trade by suggesting the
possible escape or release of imported captives. This is
now thought unlikely given that large birds held captive
for long periods in the confined space of a cage would
show damage to flight and tail feathers, and signs of soiling
due to faecal contamination. Region-wide, no such
damage has been reported either in captured individuals
or in wild birds photographed at close range, all of which
appeared wound-free and had clean, unabraded wing
and tail tips (Wells 1999).
A more likely explanation is the new records natural,
involving long-distance dispersal movements over and
above the altitudinal migration known to occur around
the edge of the breeding range. Several factors could be
playing synergistic roles and we suggest a link to the decline
of large mammals, leading to food shortage in the breeding
range, and resulting in long-distance dispersal of the
species. Such a decline of large mammals might be linked
to climate change (Barnosky et al. 2004, Murray-Clay
2005), perhaps through its impact on natural vegetation
in the upper Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau (e.g. Liu
and Chen 2000, Shrestha et al. 2004, Zhao et al. 2004,
Fukui et al. 2007). A more likely cause of large mammals
decline could be the direct impact of changing wealth,
transport and social conditions, and attitudes to the
environment, particularly in Tibet and especially in
relation to guns and hunting. In the Himalayas generally,
the impact of subsistence hunting of large animals is still
poorly known (Kaul et al. 2004), but two herd-living
ungulates endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, Tibetan
Gazelle Procapra picticaudata and Tibetan Antelope
Panthalops hodgsoni, are both recorded as having suffered
massive range and population contractions in the recent
past, attributed directly to over-hunting (Bhatnagar et al.
2006). It is thus possible that human hunting pressure
through the upland range of the Himalayan Griffon has
spawned a poorly monitored yet significant reduction in
the availability of wild (as opposed to livestock) carrion.
This, in combination with a natural tendency for young
birds to disperse away from natal sites (Newton 2007)
and to be navigationally inexperienced (Alerstam 2005),
could lead to young Himalayan Griffons wandering
outside the traditional range of the species, and their
appearance in new territories.
Possible movement patterns
As suggested by the spatiotemporal distribution of records
throughout South-East Asia and the high frequencies of
juveniles or subadults encountered, it appears that there
is some form of general movement trend. First, most
records throughout South-East Asia occurred within the
months (October–March) of the boreal winter in the
Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau and central Asia. This means
that dispersal movements and patterns of the Himalayan
Griffon can at least be circumstantially linked to seasonal
changes, perhaps arising as a result of reduced food
availability during the winter. Second, the clear age bias
towards juveniles and subadults suggests a link with post-
fledging dispersal. Immature birds tend to be more
inexperienced in foraging and navigation and are thus
more vulnerable to straying out of suitable foraging habitat
along aberrant flight routes (Alerstam 2005). Third, there
is a concentration of records, particularly records involving
‘large groups’ towards more northerly areas in South-
East Asia (e.g. Myanmar, North Thailand) (Table 1).
Records involving small groups or single individuals are
more spread out elsewhere in South-East Asia. This
pattern is probably linked to the breeding range of the
Himalayan Griffon, which is located north-northwest of
South-East Asia; the concentration of records is towards
the fringe of the range rather than farther away. Birds
moving southward down the Malay Peninsula and
Singapore towards Indonesia could possibly be limited
by sea crossings, hence explaining the paucity of
Indonesian records (only one so far).
Conservation issues
The current global conservation status category of the
Himalayan Griffon is Least Concern (IUCN 2007),
although difficulty of access to much of its mountainous
range renders population surveys difficult. Unlike other
highly threatened Gyps spp. of South and South-East
Asia (Pain et al. 2003, Oaks et al. 2004), it is not regarded
as seriously exposed to diclofenac poisoning, though this
may not apply to the dispersers reaching South-East Asia.
What proportion of the total annual production of young
fledged these dispersers represent is unknown. The high
rate of capture of weakened birds as they move south
suggests independently that many or most of these
immatures will not make a return journey and hence are
lost to the breeding population. Some effort, particularly
in Thailand, has been made to rehabilitate and release
vultures back into suitable habitat in the north, though
this has met with limited success due to veterinary and
political concerns. Satellite telemetry tracking (Bögel
1994) would be highly instructive and might even
demonstrate that some return movement does occur, but
the loss of a Cinereous Vulture shot in Myanmar weeks
after its release in Thailand (Casey 2007) highlights the
trans-boundary difficulties involved in both this and
regional vulture rehabilitation in general.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A number of individuals contributed records and other relevant
information. We would like to express our thanks. These include Alfred
Chia, Ashley Ng, Charlie Moores, Cheong Weng Chun, James Eaton,
James Heng, Jeet Cheema, Khanit Kanikul, Lee Tiah Kee, Lim Kim
Chuah, Low Bing Wen, Ong Kiem Sian, Philip D. Round, Tom
60 YONG DING LI and CHAIYAN KASORNDORKBUA Forktail 24 (2008)
Clements, Tsang Kwok Choong. Thanks go particularly to Philip Round
and the Bird Conservation Society of Thailand (BCST) for granting
access to records and to two anonymous reviewers who commented on
the first draft of the manuscript.
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Yong Ding Li, Bukit Batok Street 21, Block 209, #03-188. Singapore 650209. Email: zoothera@yahoo.com
Chaiyan Kasorndorkbua, Thai Raptor Group, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University,
50 Paholyothin Road, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900 Thailand. Email: trogon@gmail.com
62 YONG DING LI and CHAIYAN KASORNDORKBUA Forktail 24 (2008)
