The Greater Adjudant is a huge bird, standing tall the bird measures up to 150 centimeters. It's average wing span is 250 centimeters. This once common bird has a very wide hitorical range. It was found from the floodplains of Pakistand and India extending East to Borneo. Nowadays it's range is confined to the surroundings of Guwahati and Kaziranga in Assam, and a population in Cambodja. The population was estimated in 2008 at a little less than 1000 individuals. It is a typical scavenger found in the floodplains, which explains the bird's dramatical decline. The removal of corpses on which the brids feed and the use of antibiotics for cattle, causes great declines in all scavenging species. Morever the floodplains, wetlands and alluvial plains have also suffered some of the most dramatic habitat declines in Asia. The Bird is now listed as 'endangered' on the IUCN Red List.
At the rubbisch dump of Guwahati, there are often more then hundred birds found foraging around. The largest colonies and population of this threatened species are found in the vicinity of Guwahati. I was very impressed to see at such a surrealistic place about 10 to 20 % of the world population of the Greater Adjudant! Some smaller colonies seem to breed in the surroundings of National Parks such as Manas and Kaziranga, where several birds are frequently seen foraging.