S'pore public stop to gawk at massive Himalayan vulture in East Coast

Himalayan vultures have been spotted in Singapore recently.

They have shown up mainly in the west of the island.

But one vulture has been seen hanging out in East Coast.

Public stop to gawk

The bird, with a wingspan of between 2.5m and 3m, was not hard to miss — especially when it was perched in the middle of the road.

It brought the public and their camera phones out, as seen in videos put up in a post in the Nature Society Singapore Facebook group.

Traffic also appeared to slow down as one car in the background had its hazard lights on as it moved along slowly.

The post's caption indicated that the bird was in East Coast.

On Jan. 11, it was spotted at East Coast Parkway.

On Jan. 10, it was seen at Tanah Merah Coast Road.

The vulture belongs to a species usually found within the higher regions of the Himalayas.

Why are they in Singapore?

President of Bird Society of Singapore, Movin Nyanasengeran, told The Straits Times that the vultures’ appearance is part of their post-breeding dispersal period.

This is when juvenile birds become independent and leave their parents’ territory.

“Young birds tend to wander more than adults, and these vultures were probably lost during their dispersal,” he said.

He added that the birds are usually sighted in Singapore every two to three years around the start of the year.

Top photos via John Lynn