Abstract Plumage aberrations in wild birds are well-documented, although underreported in large raptors, especially in high-altitude species such as the Himalayan vulture ( Gyps himalayensis ). Here, we report a rare case of brown plumage mutation observed in a juvenile Himalayan vulture in Haryana, India. The morphological characteristics are consistent with known descriptions of brown eumelanin-based aberrations, providing valuable insight into pigment anomalies in this species and highlighting the need for systematic documentation of such rare occurrences in wild raptor populations.
Bajpai et al. (Sat,) studied this question.