Red-headed vulture

Sarcogyps calvus

The Red-headed vulture (Sarcogyps calvus) is a bird found in India, Nepal, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and 1 more countries. Open woods, farmland and river valleys in India and Southeast Asia. It eats dead animals (carrion). The IUCN Red List lists it as Critically Endangered.

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Scientific name	Sarcogyps calvus
Region	Asia
Found in	India, Nepal, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and 1 more countries

🏡 Where the Red-headed vulture lives

Open woods, farmland and river valleys in India and Southeast Asia.

🍽️ What it eats

🦴 Leftovers (carrion)100%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Critically EndangeredAlmost gone from the wild.

💡 It has a bare red head and neck, and it is also called the Asian king vulture.

Questions about the Red-headed vulture

Where does the Red-headed vulture live?

The Red-headed vulture lives in India, Nepal, Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and 1 more countries. Open woods, farmland and river valleys in India and Southeast Asia.

What does the Red-headed vulture eat?

dead animals (carrion) (about 100%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Red-headed vulture endangered?

Almost gone from the wild. Its IUCN Red List category is Critically Endangered.

More birds from Asia

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.