Bird-lovers flock to Ramanagaram to see rare visitor

Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Updated: May 8, 2017, 10.08 PM IST

Ramanagaram district has received a special visitor at the height of its tourist season. A European bird of prey has landed on its rocky hills and is attracting many with its curious character. The lone raptor, an Eurasian Griffon Vulture, has become the cynosure of all eyes in the district.

The Ramadevara Hill has been a shelter for birds such as the Egyptian Vulture and the Long-billed Vulture from many years. But this is the first time that an Eurasian Griffon Vulture has visited the place that attracts thousands of bird-lovers daily.

The bird, believed to be among the oldest kinds of eagles in the world, is scientifically termed the Gyps Fulvus. Shashi Kumar, a bird photographer, told Bangalore Mirror about the bird. “It grows up to 95-120 cm, each bird weighs about 6 to 11 kg. Its wing span of about 240-280 cm gives it the speed that airplanes attain. This bird is different from other eagles in India. It is light-brown in clour and has white hair on its long neck,” he said.

“This is among the biggest in its species in the world, and can hunt its target with great accuracy,” he said.

According to the bird census of 2008, there are 29,000 griffon vultures in the world. According to ornithologists, the bird travels to distant lands in order to maintain its body temperature between 26 and 28 degree Celsius. These birds are usually seen in Europe where its count is about 25,000. The count of these eagles in India is believed to be below 100.

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